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By Ron Ridenour Hello Friends The forthcoming 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHCR) from February 23rd to Marh 23rd 2012 is of vital importance to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government. Anticipating an adverse resolution against it the Govt has embarked on a vigorous campaign aimed at thwarting such [...]

by Deirdre McConnell Hello Friends On 18th February 2012, a conference organised by the Centre for War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) took place in Toronto, Canada. It was attended by 400 participants. The conference title was: ”International Protection of Human Rights in the 21st Century and its challenges – Case Study on Sri Lanka”. [...]

By Dr.Arujuna Sivananthan Hello Friends As I have stated earlier ,there are many who feel that Sri Lanka is undergoing a severe economic crisis although Government propagandists do not seem to agree.Despite harsh economic realities there prevails an optimistic outlook in the Colombo corridors of power. In recent times I have been posting in both [...]

by Charitha Ratwatte Hello Friends, The “mutiny” in the Maldives and its aftermath is of vital concern and interest to Sri Lanka.The sequence of events in the “necklace of Islands” has serious implications for the “pearl of the Indian ocean”. It may not be an exaggeration to state that the Maldivian thespians currently hogging the [...]

By W.A. Wijewardena Hello Friends W.A. Wijewardena is a former deputy governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank. He now writes a regular column on economic matters for the “Financial Times”(daily) published in Colombo by Wijeya newspapers. In a welcome deviation from his usual writings ,Wijewardena wrote an article recently on the rise of Cultural nationalism [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj 38 year old Warnakulasooriya Anthony Fernand, a father of two children, was killed and eight others critically injured in Chilaw on February 15th when Security personnel opened fire on fisherfolk stridently protesting the sharp rise in fuel prices announced by the Government of President Rajapaksa. The gunfire was preceded by the widespread [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Women from nine villages and housing schemes in Mannar are perturbed over plans to set up a new Army camp in Tharavankottai. Representatives of Women’s rural development societies from the nine concerned villages met recently and drafted a petition in Tamil protesting the allocation of land along Tharavanlottai road for the purpose [...]

by Chanakyan Hello Friends, The role and conduct of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) described once as “half democrats” by its leader Douglas Devananda came in for intense scrutiny by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. The LLRC report strongly recommended action by the Government against the EPDP and other groups of a similiar [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj State Terror in the form of the dreaded “white van goon squad” struck again in Colombo on Saturday February 11th 2012 when a Tamil businessman of Indian origin was abducted near his residence on Canal Bank Row, Wellawatte in the presence of his Sinhala wife and daughter. 42 year old Ramasamy Prabakaran [...]

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj 50th Anniversary of Attempted 1962 Coup D’etat – 2 “Operation Holdfast” was the codename given by a group of conspirators to a plot devised to overthrow the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Government headed by the world’s first woman Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike through a bloodless coup d’etat in January 1962. Sirima [...]

by M.A. Sumanthiran MP Hello Friends The devolving of some Police Powers to the Provincial Councils is a Constitutional requirement that is yet to be implemented in practice. In recent times this important issue has been muddied further by President Rajapaksa’s pronouncements that Police powers will not be given to the Provincial councils. Apart from [...]

by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends There has been a regime change in the Paradisian archipelago of Maldives. Recent events leading to such a change in the Maldives Islands have evoked great interest and concern in the corridors of power in Colombo. Sri Lanka is the closest neighbour to the Maldives and there existed a strong personal [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Superbowl XLVI is over and the National Football League champions for 2011 are the New York Giants who beat New England Patriots 21 -17. The game played on Sunday February 5th 2012 at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis,Indiana was televised live by NBC.I was one of the estimated 110 million who watched [...]

M.A. Sumanthiran MP Interviewed by Namini Wijedasa Hello Friends, Talks between the Sri Lankan Government’s main constituent the Sri Lanka Freedom Party(SLFP) and the Tamil National Alliance(TNA)has currently reached an impasse. The Govt which engaged in bi-lateral talks with the TNA has now suspended it unilaterally and instead convened a Parliamentary Select Committee.It now wants [...]

by Arjuna Hulugalle Hello Friends, The Saravanamuttus are a respected Sri Lankan family of Jaffna origin that has rendered and continues to render yeoman service to our Island nation. From Colombo’s first Mayor and Colombo North State Councillor Sir Ratnajothy Saravanamuttu to Dr.Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu the executive director of Centre for Policy Alternatives(CPA) the “clan”has etched [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 ~ by By helpingmedia ~ David [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: President Rajapaksa must Address Specifics [...]

Hello Friends As most of you are aware India’s minister of External Affairs SM Krishna is currently in Sri Lanka. Krishna is a Kannadiga and a former chief minister of the South Indian state of Karnataka. A highlight of the Indian foreign ministers Lankan trip was his visit to the Northern Province where many Tamils [...]

A pictorial perspective Hello Friends, “Thaippongal” is the traditional Tamil Thanksgiving festival that augurs bountiful harvests and good fortune. It is known as “Thamizhar Thirunaal” and “Uzhavar Perunaal”. [Click here to view/read in full ~ dbsjeyaraj.com: Thaippongal celebrations at Temple Trees]

An Interview With G.Pramod Kumar for “First Post”. Hello Friends, The book written by former UN official in Sri Lanka Gordon Weiss titled “The Cage:The fight for Sri Lanka and the last days of the Tamil Tigers”has made huge waves. [Click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: 'I have been damned by the [...]

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends The controversial report presented by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has evoked much interest in many different circles. It is being projected by some as Sri Lanka’s effective response to the demand for an International accountability mechanism on the one hand while others criticize it as falling far short [...]

Hello Friends The drastic decline in the Sri Lankan cricket teams performance in recent times is a cause for concern and worry among all lovers of the game who root for our Lankan lads. It can only be cricket that draws a shop-window crowd like this in Colombo, Sri Lanka ~ pic courtesy of: twitter.com/brysonhull [...]

By Gotabaya Rajapaksa Hello Friends Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s younger sibling and secretary of the Defence and Urban Development ministry is arguably the second most powerful man in Sri Lanka. pic: defence.lk It is an open knowledge that the retired colonel of the Gajaba Regiment calls the shots in the Country’s defence establishment. [click [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Rameshwaram Police has cracked down on the Tamil Nadu political activist mob that attacked Sri Lankan Tamil businessman Thirukumaran Nadesan Agitators laying seige to ahouse where Thirukumaran Nadesan had performed a puja in Rameswaram on Tuesday-pic courtesy of: The Hindu Police arrested Seven persons including “Karate”Palanisamy of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham&Kan.Illango of [...]

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s extended family member Thirukumaran Nadesan has been”attacked” by agitators in Rameshwaram, TamilNadu Nirupama Rajapaksa, with husband Thirukumaran Nadesan, at Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai on November 10, 2009. File Photo: S. James.-courtesy: The Hindu Thirukumaran Nadesan an influential businessman is the husband of Parliamentarian Nirupama Rajapaksa [...]

By Marianne David Hello Friends It was three years ago on this day (January 8th ) that former Editor of “The Sunday Leader” Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge was brutally murdered in broad daylight on his way to work by “unknown”assassins. Lassie Boy as I called him was my Friend,Colleague and Editor. The death of this fearless [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj True tale of a ‘Tamil Tigress’ – 3 1987 was an eventful year in the modern history of Sri Lanka.It was the year of the Indo-Lanka accord signed by Indian Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardena on July 29th. It was in the aftermath of the accord [...]

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! The Many Faces of Christmas – Shaped Wooden Puzzle from Sri Lanka~ Photographed by Mary Harrsch at an exhibit of over 900 nativity scenes hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Eugene, Oregon, USA For Sri Lanka the war ended [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj From Shenuka to Niromi:True Tale of a “Tamil Tigress”-2 Gaining acceptance for military training by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) organization and being inducted into the movement after a one to one meeting with tiger leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran was a great achievement for the author of “Tamil Tigress” at that juncture [...]

by M.A. Sumanthiran Hello Friends The recent speech in Parliament during the Defence ministry vote by Tamil National Alliance National list Parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran provides a different perspective on the growing militarisation of Sri Lanka with particular focus on the Northern and Eastern provinces [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Most serious [...]

by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends In a sudden move Tamil Nadu Chief minister Ms.Jayalaitha Jayaram has cracked down on her close confidante and “Uyirthozhi”(Lifefriend) Sasikala Natarajan and several members of her family. Sasikala has been thrown out of both Jayalalitha’s residence “Vedha Nilayam” on Poes Garden in Chennai and also from the party All India Anna [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj “Nallathor Veenai Seithe –athai Nalankeda Puzhuthiyil Erivathundo?” (Do we make a good “veena”(musical instrument)and throw it away in the dust to decay?)-Subramaniya Bharathiyar The on going dialogue between Government and Tamil National Alliance delegations has seen agreement on a number of issues although areas of disagreement receive wider publicity in the media. [...]

By Dr.Sudharshan Seneviratne Hello Friends, Dr.Sudharshan Seneviratne, Professor of Archaeology at Peradeniya university needs no introduction as a respected archaeologist-scholar. Colonel Olcott, Founder father of Ananda College He is an old student of Ananda College, Colombo and delivered a speech titled “Celebrating the sacred space of wisdom and humanism: Revering Anandamatha” on December 8th 2011 [...]

By Ayesha Zuhair Hello Friends Retired Supreme court Judge CV Wigneswaran is a person for whom I have a lot of respect. Justice Wigneswaran who made a distinctive mark while on the bench now engages himself in various aspects of public life. He has not hesitated to fearlessly speak out on many issues. He was [...]

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends December 14th is the fifth death anniversary of Anton Stanislaus Balasingham who served for many years as the “Arasiyal Mathiyuraingar” or political adviser to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)movement and its leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran. While the media described Balasingham by various designations such as political adviser, political strategist,ideologue,theoretician etc he [...]

by Marianne David Hello Friends Many of you may have forgotten the name Lalith Ambanwela. It was on May 20th 2002 that this conscientious and gutty auditor attached to the Auditor – Generals dept had acid flung at him for having exposed the high level corruption by certain Central Provincial Council officials in Kandy Despite [...]

by Jayantha Dhanapala Hello Friends Sri Lanka despite its size has produced quite a few personalities who made their mark in the International sphere through distinguished service. One such person is Jayantha Dhanapala who was United Nations Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs from 1998 to 2003. He was earlier director of the UN institute for [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj “Tamil Tigress” is a 320 page book released by the Australia–based publishing house, Allen & Unwin, this year. The book has a picture of an armed female guerilla fighter on the cover along with the strapline “My story as a child soldier in Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war”. It is written by [...]

By Kshama Ranawana Hello Friends The recent incident where the “Prem Nivasa” at Rawathawatta,Moratuwa was raided by the National Child Protection Authority(NCPA) and Police has shocked many. This home administered and looked after by the Catholic Church, with the assistance of the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Theresa has been a [...]

by Lucinda Fleeson Hello Friends The state of Journalism and plight of Journalists in Sri Lanka is far from satisfactory. Various media and human rights organizations have frequently described the situation in Sri Lanka as not being safe for Journalists. Among the various Sri Lankan journalists who have been victims of violence is Namal Perera. [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Gampaha district MP and senior co-deputy leader of the United National Party Karunaratna (Karu) Jayasuriya has decided to throw his hat in the ring for leadership of the party. In a statement released by him Karu Jayasuriya has stated that he would be contesting for the post of UNP leader in order [...]

by D.B.S Jeyaraj Reputed Indian singer Kattassery Joseph Yesudas known to the world as KJ Yesudas celebrated his golden jubilee in singing for films on November 14th this year. It was on Nov 14th 1961 that Yesudas recorded his first film song for a Malayalee film at a Chennai studio. Thereafter in fifty –years of [...]

Hello Friends, The controversy over the issue of War crimes allegedly committed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces with the sanction of high officials does not seem to receding into the background with the passage of time. Each time the flames show signs of reducing into flickers there is a fresh input of fuel into [...]

by J.L. Devananda Hello Friends The Tamil film “7aum Arivu”(the seventh sense)directed by AR Murugadoss is now running in cinemas and is a box office success. The film is based on the story of Bodhidharmar who was supposedly a Tamil Buddhist born In Kanchipuram and a scion of the Pallava dynasty. While relating the tale [...]

by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends Today November 26th is the birthday of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)Leader Thiruvengadam Veluppillai Prabhakaran. Had he been living Prabhakaran would have celebrated his 57th birthday today. [click here to read in full ~ dbsjeyaraj.com: Prabhakaran: Powerful symbol of Tamil armed struggle]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj The count down has begun for “ Great Heroes Day” (GHD) on November 27th. Rival factions of the overseas Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)competing with each other to commemorate the event in Western countries where substantial concentrations of Sri Lankan Tamils are prevalent. November 27th falls on a Sunday this year. This [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Both Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) factions in Canada have agreed NOT to have different”Great Heroes Day”functions on Nov 27th 2011 Clashing LTTE factions in Canada have decided to conduct one “Great Heroes day” function in Ontario Province & another in Quebec Province only [click here to read in full ~ on [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Pandemonium erupted in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Monday November 21st 2011 as MP’s belonging to the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance(UPFA) and opposition United National Party(UNP)clashed openly in the presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the presentation of the budget for the forthcoming year. In what was a shameful [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj A 9-day”Thamizhar Ezhuchi Vaaram”(Tamil resurgence week)organized by”Naam Thamizhar Iyakkam” (We Tamil movement) is currently on in Tamil Nadu The resurgence week period from Nov 20th to 28th will include the birthday (26th)of LTTE leader Prabhakaran&the great heroes day (27th) [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Tamil Resurgence Week in [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj A 1000 page book on the life of Veluppillai Prabhakaran,leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is to be released in January 2012 The book “Prabhakaran: Thamizhar Ezhuchiyin Vadivam” (Prabhakaran; Personification of Tamil resurgence) is written by Pazhaniyappan Nedumaran. [click here to read in full~on dbsjeyaraj.com: Nedumaran writes new 1000 page [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)faction led by Segarampillai Vinayagamoorthy alias Vinayagam has suffered a major setback in Britain LTTE Vinayagam faction is in a quandary because it is unable to conduct the”Maaveerar Naal”(great heroes day)on November 27th as planned [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Two venues booked for [...]

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj [Continued from last week-Attack on Parithy in Paris: Intra-Tiger power struggle] The French crackdown on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) in Paris was launched on April Fools day . In what may have appeared to be a cruel April fools joke to the tigers in France, French law enforcement authorities engaged [...]

By Ravi Ladduwahetty Hello Friends Senior deputy leader of the United National Party and Gampaha district Parliamentarian Karu Jayasuriya is a widely respected popular politician. Before he entered active politics this old Anandian had a distinguished record in the private sector. In a recent article in “The Island” journalist Ravi Ladduwahetty has written a multi-faceted [...]

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj The October 30th nocturnal attack on senior French tiger leader Parithy in Paris is a symptom of a malady currently afflicting Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora politics. Overseas structures of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) are currently experiencing a power struggle between leading stalwarts of the movement. The Paris attack on Parithy [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Hello Friends, It was on November 10th 2006 that Nadarajah Raviraj was brutally gunned down along with his Police bodyguard in broad daylight near his residence in Colombo. Five years have passed and no one has been punished for the murders of the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) MP from Jaffna district nor Sgt.Lakshman [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Hello Friends, It was on November 10th 2006 that Nadarajah Raviraj the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) MP from Jaffna district and his Police bodyguard Sgt.Lakshman Lokuwella were killed in Colombo. Five years have passed and none have been penalised for the ghastly crime. While the finger of guilt pointed to the state and [...]

By Jehan Perera Hello Friends The war may be over but the Armed forces of Sri Lanka continue to play an assertive role in the affairs of the Country. This is more pronounced in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the Country where the armed forces continue to dominate may spheres of eeryday life in [...]

By S.L.Gunasekara Hello Friends, The recent motion signed by several MP’s calling for the appointment of a Parliamentary select committee to inquire into allegations of misconduct by retired chief justice Sarath Nanda Silva has caused much excitement. Sarath Silva when serving as chief justice was regarded as being politically motivated and described as someone who [...]

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Hello Friends The Sri Lankan government is very happy with its achievements in Australia when the Commonwealth summit was held in Perth. Colombo is of the opinion that it registered a diplomatic triumph down under. A buoyant External Affairs minister Prof.GL Peiris outlined the salient points of this victory in a comprehensive cabinet [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Hello Friends One of the biggest surprises during the 2010 Presidential elections was the support extended by the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) Gen.Sarath Fonseka the common opposition candidate. Given the tough,hawkish image of Sarath Fonseka and the fact that he gave military leadership during the war it did seem perplexing as to why [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Joint action taken by the Trincomalee UC along with the ,Police has restored the “be-headed” SJV Chelvanayagam statue’s head in Trinco town The”de-capitated”head of the respected Tamil leader was affixed again through”reparatory sculpture”&the statue”re-opened”for public viewing The damaged statue being restored in its original position in a “holistic”state with some”imperfection”within 24 hours [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj The October 30th attack on France-based chief of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)is attributed to an on going internal power struggle Nadarajah Matheenthiran alias Parithy a.k.a Regan,head of the LTTE front in France,Tamil Coordinating committee(TCC)was attacked in Paris When Matheenthiran&2 bodyguards left the TCC office on Sunday (30th)night a gang of 6 [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Less than 3000 people attended “pongu Thamizh”(Tamil Upsurge)event staged by Nediyavan led faction of pro-LTTE elements in Toronto on Oct 29 While the crowd was large by Canadian standards it was a massive drop in numbers compared to earlier LTTE events conducted at the same venue A “Pongu Thamizh” event at the [...]