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Return and re-settlement of displaced persons in the North: A TNA overview

3 February 2012, 9:26 pm

Hello Friends

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has begun the commendable task of comiling and releasing informative reports on crucial issues affecting the people of the North and East. The latest in this series is one pertaining to the return and resettlement of displaced persons in the North.

The preamble of the TNA report states as follows-

“This report provides an overview of the return or resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were displaced during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka.
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Filed under Current affairs, Guest blogger.
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The Sri Lankan connection of Swami Vivekananda

1 February 2012, 1:05 pm

By Priyadarshi Dutta

Hello Friends

Narendranath Dutta known as Swami Vivekananda was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsar and founded the Ramakrishna mission that performs commendable service in many parts of the world including Sri Lanka.

Swami Vivekananda is a Bengali who was born in 1863 and passed away in 1902. He was greatly responsible for ushering in a modern Hindu renaissance.
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Filed under Current affairs, Guest blogger, Pictorial.
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South Asian Think Tank IPCS researcher critiques LLRC Report

1 February 2012, 6:27 am

Hello Friends,

The Report released by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC)has been receiving mixed responses.

The latest critique that I read was from the South Asian Think tank – Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) in New Delhi ,India.It is written by an ICPS staff researcher J.Jeganaathan based in Delhi who is their Sri Lanka specialist.
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Filed under Current affairs.
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Formal dialogue needed at UN Human Rights Council to discuss both the LLRC and UN reports on Sri Lanka

30 January 2012, 9:50 pm

Justice Louise Arbour-Credit: Larry Munn, photographer Supreme Court of Canada Collection

By Louise Arbour

Hello Friends

Louise Arbour is a distinguished Canadian whose name is not unknown to many in Sri Lanka. She served as a Judge on the Canadian Supreme Court and also the Ontario court of Appeal.

Louise Arbour was the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in Hague.It was she as chief prosecutor who indicted Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes. It was the first time a serving head of state was called to account before an international court.
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Sea Tiger commander Soosai’s wife Satyadevi speaks out

30 January 2012, 6:40 am

Sea Tiger commander Soosai

Hello Friends

Thillaiambalam Sivanesan alias Soosai was the former commander and special commander of the naval division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) known as “Kadal Puligal” or Sea Tigers. This native of Polygandy in Vadamaratchy fought to the very end and died in Mulllivaaikkaal in Mullaitheevu district on May 17/18th 2009.

Soosai born on October 16th 1963 is a first batch tiger recruit who received training in North India. He was the former LTTE Vadamaratchy area chief under Satasivampillai Krishnakumar alias Kittu in the eighties of the last century.
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Filed under Current affairs.
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50th Anniversary of abortive coup d’etat conspiracy in January 1962

27 January 2012, 2:04 pm

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Fifty years ago on Sunday January 28th 1962 the people of the Island nation known then as “Ceylon” were rocked by a special news bulletin in the afternoon on “Radio Ceylon” (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation)that interrupted regular programming . The shocking announcement repeated ad nauseam by a male voice on Radio stated that a conspiracy to stage a coup d’etat had been foiled.

Politics with Pride ~ Statue of the world’s first woman Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike at the Srimavo Bandaranaike Exhibition Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka ~ pic by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Coup d’etat meaning “stroke of state” in French is used to describe the overthrow or deposition of a government or head of state through illegal or unconstitutional means. A coup d’etat generally referred to as a coup is usually undertaken by officer/s of armed forces against the established government.
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Filed under Current affairs, This Day.
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Sri Lanka Heading Towards Inevitable 20 Percent Depreciation of the Rupee

26 January 2012, 5:42 pm

By Dr. Arujuna Sivananthan

Hello Friends,

‘It’s the economy stupid’ was the popular phrase publicised widely by the Bill Clinton team during the Presidential elections campaign of 1992.

George Bush Sr running for a second term was seen as a sure winner then because of developments like the end of the cold war and the US gulf war victory. But the Clinton campaign focused on the recession and projected Clinton as a better choice because Bush had not adequately addressed economic issues.
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Irresponsible diaspora sections cause many problems in Jaffna

25 January 2012, 7:43 pm

By Rajasingham Jayadevan

Hello Friends

Rajasingham Jayadevan is an accountant based in London, Britain. He has been and continues to e a political activist concerned about the future and well-being of Sri Lankans in general and Tamils in particular

Pic courtesy of: A visit to the market in Jaffna ~ more pics-by By helpingmedia
~ David Brewer-Dec 6, 2011

Some years ago while visiting Sri Lanka Jayadevan had an unpleasant experience at the hands of the LTTE which he had supported at one time. He was detained and interrogated by the tigers in the Wanni while pressure was exerted by the LTTE to gain control of the Eelappatheeswarar temple in London of which Jayadevan was chief trustee.
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Filed under Current affairs.
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Rowdyism at Rameswaram by Tamil Nadu ‘activist’ mob

23 January 2012, 10:06 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Rameswaram (Rameshwar)in the South of Tamil Nadu state in India is revered by Hindus all over the world as a place of tremendous religious significance.The Island town was the scene of an ugly rumpus on the tenth of this month when a well-known Sri Lankan Tamil businessman visiting for a religious purpose was victimized in a deplorable act of rowdyism. He was apparently targeted because of his relationship to President Mahinda Rajapaksa through marriage.
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Filed under Current affairs.
169 Comments

Sharing land powers is part of the devolution process enshrined in the constitution

23 January 2012, 5:56 pm

By Austin Fernando

Hello Friends

The sharing of powers over land between the Provincial and Central Governments is currently a raging controversy. The “lands” issue has become one of the primary issues on which the Government and Tamil National Alliance (TNA)are finding it difficult to reach agreement upon.

President Rajapaksa’s pronouncements on the subject tend to convey an impression that the TNA representing the Tamil people is making a fresh,unreasonable demand which will not conceded. The reality however is that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and the Provincial Councils act have already defined the sharing of land administration powers although it may be ambiguous and may not be satisfactory.
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Filed under Current affairs, Guest blogger.
35 Comments

Island Mystique: Three startling differences Between India and Sri Lanka

21 January 2012, 11:47 pm

Professor Alaka Basu ~ pic: cornell.edu

By Alaka M.Basu

Hello Friends

A friend sent me an interesting article that appeared in “The Telegraph”published in Kolkota (Calcutta). It is written by Alaka M.Basu who is a professor in the Department of Development Sociology at Cornell University,USA.

Ms.Basu was in Sri Lanka on a holiday recently and is captivated by its charm like most travellers to our lovely Island “where every prospect pleases”.
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Filed under Current affairs, Guest blogger.
105 Comments

President Rajapaksa must Address Specifics of a Political Settlement

20 January 2012, 6:19 am

Siddharth Varadarajan

Hello Friends

India’s respected newspaper “The Hindu” has experienced a change at the Editorial helm with the Editor in Chief Narasimhan Ram stepping down with effect from January 19th 2012.

The Hindu’s national bureau chief Siddharth Varadarajan has succeeded him as Editor.
Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa must Address Specifics of a Political Settlement’ »

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180 Comments