GTF resolution inspires Tamil polity

[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 March 2010, 05:13 GMT]
Whereas the Tamils democratically gave the mandate for the independence of their own country Tamil Eelam by endorsing the Vaddukoddai Resolution of 1976, in the 1977 general elections, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) calls upon the international community, governments, leaders and the UN to conduct a UN monitored referendum in the North-East region of Sri Lanka and among the displaced Tamils living in other countries, to determine if they wish independence or to be part of a united Sri Lanka, says a crucial part of the GTF resolution passed unanimously in London last week. The GTF resolution, not voluntarily surrendering the cause of Eezham Tamils but leaving it to the democratic choice of the concerned people, should inspire polity in the name of Tamil nationalism in the island and in the diaspora, Tamil circles commented.
Full story >>

Government engaged in setting up Sinhalese colonies in Vanni – Suresh Premachandran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 03 March 2010, 15:34 GMT]
“Sri Lanka government is actively engaged in colonizing the Vanni districts of Mannaar, Mullaiththeevu and Ki’linochchi with the families of armed force personnel and Sinhalese people,” Suresh Premachandran, former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian and one of the TNA candidates contesting Jaffna electoral district, said in a press briefing held Wednesday at his Jaffna office.
Full story >>

ITAK begins election campaign in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2010, 13:17 GMT]
The Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) Sunday evening inaugurated its election campaign in Trincomalee district in support of its candidates led by its President and former Member of Parliament R.Sampanthan. Mr. Sampanthan with other candidates S.Mathialagan, K.Selvarajah, (Trincomalee Urban Council Vice Chairman), K.Nageswaran, K.Thiruchelvam and M.Neminathan participated in the election rally. Former Member of Parliamentarian K.Thurairetnasingham presided over the rally held at Sivan Koayil Veethi.
Full story >>

Tamil National Peoples Front launched in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 March 2010, 06:26 GMT]
It was announced that a new Tamil national political alliance called ‘Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF)' has been formed, in a press meet held Sunday at the Jaffna office of All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) party. Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Gejendrakumar Ponnambalam, S. Kajendren, Ms. Pathmini Sithamparanathan and TNA activists including ACTC chief candidate Sinnathurai Varatharajan for Jaffna electoral district were present at the press briefing. The new Alliance stated that it was based firmly on the concept of Tamil nationalism: Homeland, Tamil nationhood, Tamil sovereignty and Tamils Right to self-determination.
Full story >>

Suresh Premachandran’s office in Jaffna attacked again

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 February 2010, 19:44 GMT]
Unidentified persons threw stones continually, attacking the office of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) former parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran Friday night causing damage to the tiles and windows of the office, sources in Jaffna said. The office is located at the entrance of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 512 Division on Point Pedro road in Jaffna where there is 24-hour presence of SLA and the police, the sources further said.
Full story >>

ACTC submits own list of candidates to contest Jaffna electorate

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 February 2010, 14:05 GMT]
All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) party which had quit Tamil National Alliance (TNA) submitted Friday its nomination list at Jaffna Secretariat with Sinnathurai Varatharajan, a teacher of economics, as its chief candidate, sources in Jaffna said. Many prominent people in the peninsula as well as the Jaffna University community are said to be supporting ACTC in the forthcoming parliamentary election in Jaffna district electorate.
Full story >>

Rift in SLFP circles in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 February 2010, 19:06 GMT]
Mahintha Thilakumara Udugama, Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organizer of Jaffna and Vanni, paid Thursday deposit money to contest as an independent candidate in Jaffna district as he was not included in the SLFP nomination list, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) accused the government for paying money to many independent groups to contest Jaffna district with the view to split the votes in Jaffna peninsula, the sources added.
Full story >>

TNA submits candidates’ list to contest Vanni district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 February 2010, 18:25 GMT]
Tamil National Aliance (TNA) submitted Wednesday its list of candidates to contest Vanni district in the forthcoming parliamentary election at Vavuniyaa Secretariat, sources in Vavuniyaa said. Meanwhile, United National Party (UNP) is expected to submit Thursday its list of candidates contesting Jaffna district with Ms. Vijayakala Maheswaran, wife of late Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, former Colombo district parliamentarian, as its chief candidate.
Full story >>

2 more independent groups pay deposit money to contest Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 2010, 12:52 GMT]
The number of independent groups contesting parliamentary election in Jaffna district has risen to six with two more groups depositing money at Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. The political parties which had submitted their list of candidates to contest Jaffna district so far are Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP), the sources added.
Full story >>

ITAK submits candidates’ list to contest Jaffna district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 2010, 12:39 GMT]
Mavai Senathirajah, General Secretary of Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) along with Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy of All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) submitted the list of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates contesting the general election Wednesday around 11:15 a.m in Jaffna Secretariat. This nomination list has excluded many of the TNA former parliamentarians causing dissatisfaction among several Tamil circles in Jaffna including Jaffna University community, the sources added.
Full story >>

ITAK submits candidates’ list to contest Trincomalee district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 2010, 10:52 GMT]
The president of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK), R.Sampanthan, Wednesday morning handed over the list of candidates fielding in the forthcoming general election to the Trincomalee District Returning Officer at Trincomalee district secretariat. Mr. Sampanthan, who was a Member of Parliament for Trincomalee district in the dissolved parliament has been named as the Chief Candidate in the list. However another ex-parliamentarian K.Thurairetnasingham who is a resident of Moothoor east did not contest this election due to personal reason. Instead three candidates from Moothoor east are included in the list.
Full story >>

2 more independent groups pay deposit to contest parliamentary election in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 23 February 2010, 03:37 GMT]
Murugesu Arumainayagam and Kasipillai Senthilvel from Jaffna paid their deposit money at Jaffna Secretariat Monday to contest as independent groups in Jaffna electoral district in the forthcoming parliamentary election. Meanwhile, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam, former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian paid a visit to Jaffna where he met Jaffna University society members to discuss the need to form an alternative political party in place of TNA, sources in Jaffna said.
Full story >>

Myth of Sri Lankan state and the historic responsibility of Tamil leadership

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 2010, 18:49 GMT]
Why Tamil political leadership should never on its own surrender sovereignty, why Tamils are coerced to surrender it by all quarters concerned, what are the historical and legal bases for claims of Tamil sovereignty in the island – these are questions every Eezham Tamil, whether politician or layman has to put to serious perusal at this historic juncture, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo. Just like the Sinhalese, Tamils also lost their sovereignty to the Portuguese but through a separate legal convention. The Tamils have not regained it like the Sinhalese but proved it de facto. After an unfair war, TNA or any other Eezham Tamil leadership should not make the historic blunder of again surrendering Tamil sovereignty and also proving that surrender in a ballot, he further writes.
Full story >>

Ex-TNA parliamentarian Thangesvary to contest in UPFA ticket

[TamilNet, Monday, 22 February 2010, 18:02 GMT]
Kathiraman Thangesvary, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian in the dissolved parliament is to contest in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with five new faces in the Batticaloa electoral district, media circles in Colombo said Monday.
Full story >>

India to screen academics of Sri Lanka attending conferences

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 February 2010, 20:25 GMT]
Participants from Sri Lanka to conferences in India require advance security clearance from the Home Ministry of India. The restrictions are applicable to peoples of eight countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and to people of Pakistani origin and stateless persons, media reports said Friday, citing instructions sent to all Central Ministries, Departments and Chief Secretaries of all State Governments and Union Territories. India’s foreign policy necessitating six-weeks scrutiny for academics of one half of the countries of South Asia is shocking, political observers said adding that while governments collaborate in state terrorism at higher levels they prevent their peoples uniting against it. Some of the countries now red-flagged for academics were India’s staunch partners in abetting Sri Lanka’s war crimes and defending them at the UNHRC.
Full story >>

Alternate group meets in Jaffna to discuss reformation of TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 21 February 2010, 02:38 GMT]
Around 300 prominent persons including two former parliamentarians met Saturday at the Common Hall in Point Pedro Sivan Koayil to discuss the need to reform TNA as it fails to act according to its original principles, sources in Jaffna said. The representative of the Public Organizations in Jaffna peninsula and former principal of Point Pedro Hartley College, Sripathy, too participated in the meeting with several other representatives, the sources added.
Full story >>

18 ex-UNP parliamentarians appeal to Supreme Court to ensure their security

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 February 2010, 14:15 GMT]
Eighteen former parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Wednesday filed petitions in Supreme Court seeking relief against the withdrawal of their security by the government. Petitioners said their security had been withdrawn on February 15 whilst a group of former government parliamentarians and government supporters who are not parliamentarians are provided with security of the Ministerial Security Division, legal sources in Colombo said.
Full story >>

TNA considers opening offices in Delhi, Colombo

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 February 2010, 02:39 GMT]
On being asked whether Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has plans to open its party offices in Delhi and Colombo, Suresh Premachadran, TNA spokesman and MP, said that efforts are being taken to open the two offices but they will be opened only after the parliamentary election. In response to a question whether the Indian Government has granted permission to open an office of TNA in Delhi, he did not give a clear answer. However, he added that there is no need to obtain permission to open an office in Colombo.
Full story >>

TNA shouldn't fail representing hearts of Tamils: Fr. Emmanuel

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 February 2010, 13:26 GMT]
At a time when Colombo and its collaborators try their best to erase out the national aspirations of Tamils, the Tamil National Alliance has the noble responsibility to maintain its unity in being the true voice and champions of Tamil aspirations, says Rev. Prof. Dr. S.J. Emmanuel, the former Vicar General of the Catholic diocese of Jaffna in an open letter addressed to TNA leaders Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachandran, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Gajendrakumar Ponnampalam. Eezham Tamils have been consistent in expressing their genuine desire for independence ever since 1976 and even now it remains the underlying goal despite constitutional sanction on speaking it out openly in the island of Sri Lanka. But, their kith and kin in the free diaspora have voiced on their behalf, overwhelmingly re-confirming that desire as the standing-aspiration, he said in the appeal.
Full story >>

Tamil circles urge TNA to enunciate policy

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 February 2010, 03:45 GMT]
Several organizations in Jaffna including those of the students and intellectuals have called upon Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to make public its proposed solution for the ethnic issue well before the forthcoming parliamentary election, sources in Jaffna said. The call comes in the wake of rumours that TNA stands divided as some of its senior parliamentarians are planning to field new candidates other than the present representatives in order to strengthen their positions, the sources added. Meanwhile, TNA is being urged to state their policy clearly as it was done in 1976 in the first National Convention of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) where the Vaddukoddai Resolution was proclaimed, the sources added.
Full story >>