Protests mark Press Freedom Day

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 11:02 GMT]
Marking the World Press Freedom day, hundreds of journalists of print and electronic media demonstrated carrying placards with photos of Mr Sivaram and shouting slogans demanding freedom of expression, in front of the Fort railway station in Colombo Tuesday, sources said.
Full story >>

Australian Tamils condemn journalist's murder

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 10:52 GMT]
The Australian Federation of Tamil Associations, in a press release issued Tuesday condemned the murder of Dharmeratnam Sivaram and said, "This murder is the latest in a series of brutal slayings of Tamil journalists which includeBBC journalist, Mr Mylvaganam Nimalarajan and Mr Nadesan...We call upon the Australian Government and the Australian Media in particular to condemn this brutal and premeditated murder. AFTA is outraged that the Sri Lankan politicalestablishment should continue silencing the voice of Tamils despite the cease-fire."
Full story >>

'Sivaram was a terrorist journalist' - JHU

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 May 2005, 00:02 GMT]
Sri Lanka’s hardline monks party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) this week denounced Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, the Tamil political columnist and military analyst who was murdered on Friday, as a “terrorist journalist” working for the LTTE. Saying Mr. Sivaram was akin to “Hitler’s Goebbels” a statement issued by the JHU's General Secretary, Omalpe Sobitha Thera, said he had “undermined the morale of the armed forces who were fighting the fascist Tigers.” Saying Sivaram should have been arrested according to the laws of Sri Lanka, the JHU urged the government to take stern action against others working in support of the Tigers.
Full story >>

Sivaram an inspiration to Tamil journalists - Uthayan

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 20:33 GMT]
Saluting the work of Dharmaretnam Sivaram, the Tamil columnist abducted and murdered in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday, the popular Jaffna Tamil daily, Uthayan, said in its editorial Monday that he would remain an “inspiration to Tamil journalists with love for the nation and their people.”
Full story >>

Sivaram: ‘Don’t raise false hopes amongst our people’

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 18:35 GMT]
The last article published by Mr. Dharmeratnam Sivaram, the political columnist and military analyst abducted and murdered on Friday, was an appeal to his colleagues in the Tamil media. Urging them not to hype up the chances of a positive outcome with regards to the joint mechanism until it actually happens, Mr. Sivaram argued that the media has a duty to not to raise false hopes amongst the Tamil people and to keep the Sri Lankan state’s determination not to meet Tamil expectations in sight.The article, written in Tamil for the Colombo-based Virakesari newspaper appeared in its edition of Sunday April 24.
Full story >>

Norway Tamils celebrate May Day

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 16:07 GMT]
Several hundred Tamils in Norway, carrying Tamil Eelam national flags and banners urging the international community to recognize the Tamil people's right to self-determination, participated in May Day rallies held in capital Oslo and other major cities, organised by Confederation of Trade Unions, sources in Norway said. The participants also carried large photographs of murdered journalist Mr.D.Sivaram and banners condemning the killing.
Full story >>

FMM to hold demonstration in Colombo condemning Sivaram murder

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 15:55 GMT]
Free Media Movement (FMM) is planning to hold a demonstration Tuesday evening in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo condemning the brutal killing of journalist Mr.D.Sivaram and demanding the Government to conduct impartial inquiry to identify the assassins, sources said.
Full story >>

Peace Process has brought nothing tangible, TNA tells India's Foreign Secretary

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 13:42 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA)MPs told India's Foreign Secretary Mr. Shyam Saran during a meeting in Colombo that nothing tangible had occurred to further the Peace Process, that even the post Tsunami Mechanism had not reached fruition, and that the situation of drift and stalemate was very harmful, said a press release issued by the TNA in Colombo Monday.
Full story >>

Funeral of Sivaram held in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 10:13 GMT]
Murdered Tamil journalist Mr D Sivaram's funeral rites began at his family home in Lady Manning Drive, Batticaloa Monday afternoon after his body was taken to LTTE controlled Karadiyan Aaru earlier in the day. The body of Mr.Sivaram is now being taken to the cemetery in Aalayadichcholai, which lies in a High Security Zone of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The funeral procession is escorted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and Police. Representatives of the SLMM are also following, TamilNet correspondent in the eastern town said.
Full story >>

Govt. of Sri Lanka is accountable for journalist's murder- US Tamils

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 May 2005, 00:48 GMT]
"Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is accountable for the murder of journalist Mr D Sivaram," said a press release issued by a group of US Tamil Organizations, Sunday. "Sadly, the murder of Mr. Sivaram is not an aberration; it is consistent with a long history of state-sponsored murders of journalists and political opponents, and general contempt for freedom, democracy and the rule of law which have become the norm for Sri-Lanka," the release further said.
Full story >>

Sivaram funeral cortege leaves Colombo

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 17:19 GMT]
The body of murdered Tamil journalist Sivaram Dharmeratnam was taken from his residence in Colombo at 10pm local time to Batticaloa where his funeral will take place on Monday. The skies opened up momentarily around No.15/4 Mahindarama Road, Ratmalana from where the cortege left with Police escort. The cortege is expected to reach Batticaloa in the early hours of Monday
Full story >>

Resettled families in Thiriyai receive houses

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 17:19 GMT]
Twenty houses constructed in Thiriyai, a predominantly Tamil village, about 42 km north of Trincomalee district were handed to resettled families at an event held Friday evening. The World Bank funded North East Housing Reconstruction Programme (NEHRP) allocated one hundred thousand five hundred rupees for each house and the balance money was borne by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO).
Full story >>

Trade unions hold May Day rallies in Jaffna, Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 May 2005, 13:59 GMT]
Tamil speaking trade unions under one wing held May rallies followed by processions in Jaffna and Trincomalee Sunday with large number of trade union activists participating. Marchers carried photograph of journalist Mr.D.Sivaram who was brutally killed in Colombo last Thursday.
Full story >>

Jaffna journalists protest over killing of Sivaram

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2005, 16:41 GMT]
A large number of civilians and journalists protested in Jaffna town, Saturday morning, demanding the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure safety to Tamil media persons.
Full story >>

Pirapaharan confers "Maamanithar" title to Sivaram

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2005, 16:07 GMT]
“Death never destroys great men who had lived for lofty ideals,” said V Pirapaharan in a message released from Vanni Saturday conferring the "Maamanithar (Great Humanbeing)"award on journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram. Mr Sivaram, a senior editorial board member of TamilNet, was abducted and murdered by unidentified persons Thursday evening 10.30pm.
Full story >>

Sri Lanka President must be answerable for the murder - IFT

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2005, 07:14 GMT]
International Federation of Tamils (IFT) The purported murder was committed in a High Security Zone which is under the constant and vigilant protection of the Security Forces of the Sri Lankan government. As supreme commander of the armed forces, the Executive President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaiake Kumaratunge should be held responsible and made answerable for the murder. Several Tamil journalists and human rights activists, including Nimal Rajan in Jaffna, G.Nadesan in Batticaloa, Kumar Ponnambalam in Colombo and Chandra Nehru in Batticaloa, have been murdered, all in High Security Zones, during the present President’s tenure.
Full story >>

LTTE accuses SLA Intelligence, para-militaries for Sivaram's murder

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2005, 00:16 GMT]
Accusing Sri Lanka military intelligence, and para-militaries collaborating with security forces as responsible for murdering Taraki D Sivaram, the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers in a press release issued from Vanni Friday said, "Forces that cannot stand up to Sivaram's resoluteness, his firm conviction on issues, and depth and brilliance in broad range of skills, have abducted and murdered him to silence his voice."
Full story >>

Sivaram Dharmeratnam: A Journalist’s life

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 21:11 GMT]
Mark Whitaker, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Carolina, Aiken, U.S.A, is completing an intellectual biography of Dharmeratnam Sivaram’s life and work in a book entitled “Learning Politics from Sivaram.” Prof. Whitaker summarizes Sivaram’s life and work in this feature.


Full story >>

CPJ condemns ‘brazen abduction and execution’

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 18:25 GMT]
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the murder on Friday of leading military analyst and political commentator, Dharmeratnam Sivaram, saying “the brazen abduction and execution of a veteran journalist sends a chilling message to others in the Tamil media.”
Full story >>

Sivaram's loss, a true tragedy- Teresita Schaffer

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 April 2005, 17:54 GMT]
"I am so distressed by this. I knew Sivaram as one of the best political analysts in Sri Lanka, and someone who valued and defended his independence of thought and action. Sri Lanka and the Tamil community need people like him. His loss is a true tragedy, and whoever killed him has done great harm to the country and the community," said Ambassador Teresita Schaffer in a message sent to TamilNet Friday.
Full story >>