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Archive of entries posted on July 2010

What is happening to the Ex-LTTE cadre surrendees?

30 July 2010, 2:42 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The Conclusion of the long drawn out war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organization has been welcomed by all sections of Sri Lankan society in particular and the international community in general.

Even as war ravaged Sri Lankans breathe a collective sigh of relief and attempt to get on with their lives in a post – war scenario ,it is important to note that the armed conflict’s end does not necessarily mean the national question generally referred to as the “Tamil problem” has been satisfactorily resolved.

Filed under Current affairs.
193 Comments

Horror of a pogrom: Remembering “Black July” 1983

24 July 2010, 2:54 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The tragic history of post – independence Sri Lanka records that the Tamils of Sri Lanka have been subjected to mass –scale mob violence in the years 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983. The anti-Tamil violence of July 1983 was the most terrible and horrible of them all. It remains etched in memory even after 27 years.

Filed under This Day.
269 Comments

How Mrs. Bandaranaike became Prime Minister in 1960

23 July 2010, 2:09 pm

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Fifty years ago on 21 July 1960, Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was sworn in as Prime Minister of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known then). The 44-year-old widow of Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike made history on that day as the world’s first woman Prime Minister.

Filed under This Day.
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Mrs. Bandaranaike: The world’s first woman Prime Minister

21 July 2010, 9:55 pm

by D.B. S. Jeyaraj

Hello Friends

Today July 21st is the 50th anniversary of Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike becoming Prime Minister of Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon. Needless to say she made history then as the world’s first woman prime minister and put the Island nation on the global map.

I thought of remembering on this historically important date this remarkable woman who made a lasting impact on the fate of her country.

Filed under This Day.
72 Comments

Actress Asin combats Tamil filmdom over Sri Lanka

16 July 2010, 2:35 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The South Indian state of Tamil Nadu has a robust Film industry. From it’s nascent stages ,film- making in the state has been inclusive in nature. Artistes and technicians from various parts of India have worked and continue to work in Tamil films. Many non –Tamils employed in the film sector have chosen to live in Chennai.

Asin Thottumkal looks up during a news conference, about her new film “Ready” which is being shot in Sri Lanka, in Colombo June 30, 2010.~ Reuters pic

Sri Lanka’s film industry too has had historical links with Tamil Nadu. The first Sinhala film produced by SM Nayagam a Tamil was shot in Madras as Chennai was known earlier. Several other Sinhala films in the forties and fifties were made in India.

Filed under Current affairs, Film, Tamil Cinema.
255 Comments

Ex-LTTE Chief “KP”: The Tiger who changed his stripes

9 July 2010, 2:48 pm

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The tiger, they say , does not change its stripes. The leopard too wont change its spots. This inability or refusal to change is certainly true of the four –legged felines.

There are some – perpetually paranoid- who would say this is applicable to the near extinct two –legged tiger in Sri Lanka too. “Once a tiger always a tiger”. In fact there is a proverbial saying in Tamil “Puli Pasithalum Pullai Thinnaathu”(even when hungry the tiger will not eat grass).

Whatever truth these sayings may seek to convey, the reality in Sri Lanka is that of many members and ex-members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) changing their stripes. Ferocious felines are transformed from carnivores into herbivores. The most famous examples of this successful transition were until recently Vinayagamurthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan. The former is a Parliamentarian and Deputy Minister while the latter is Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council.

There are also innumerable instances of nondescript tiger cadres dropping out of the movement and embarking on a new, violence free family life. Thousands of former tigers have sought refuge in foreign countries. Most of them lead quiet, dignified lives contributing immensely to society at large.

Yesteryears: LTTE leader Prabhakaran, ‘KP’, Anton Balasingham and ‘Col.’ Sankar

Filed under Current affairs.
289 Comments