Tamils - a Trans State Nation..

"To us all towns are one, all men our kin.
Life's good comes not from others' gift, nor ill
Man's pains and pains' relief are from within.
Thus have we seen in visions of the wise !."
-
Tamil Poem in Purananuru, circa 500 B.C

Home Whats New Trans State Nation One World Unfolding Consciousness Comments Search
"Whatever may be said, whosoever may say it - to determine the truth of it, is wisdom" - Thirukural
Whats New Archive
- September 2008 -

"...அரிய சாதனைகள் செய்யப்படுவது வலிமையினால் அல்ல - விடா முயற்சியினால்தான்..."

Week Ending: Saturday 27 September 2008

Reflection

�The US will lose its status as the superpower of the world financial system. This world will become multi�polar with the emergence of stronger, better capitalised centres in Asia and Europe . The world will never be the same again.� Peer Steinbr�ck, German Finance Minister, 25 September 2008

Tamil Diaspora - a Trans State Nation

American Tamils Protest before United Nations Headquarters in New York - - as Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse addresses UN General Assembly: Save the Children - Text of Speech by Usha S Sri Skanda Rajah "..I come to you as a mother; I make this desperate plea on behalf of mothers - Tamil mothers all over all over the world who are traumatized by the suffering of innocent children - our Tamil children who are facing genocide at the hands of Mahinda Rajapakse and his treacherous Sinhala forces..." more

Reflections

1. "..But imagine it happens: Killinochchi is flattened, Mr P is dead, LTTE dissolved. Will the Tamil dream of a Tamil Eelam die? Of course not. It will be revived, and new cycles of violence will occur. And probably new CFAs. And possibly the same mistake, confusing ceasefire with peace, using it as a sleeping pillow to do nothing..." Conflict Resolution in Tamil Eelam - Sri Lanka: the Norwegian Initiative - Professor Johan Galtung

2. "..The film portrays, quite brilliantly, the nature of a guerrilla uprising. Walker (the English mercenary) seems all too aware of the danger of a popular uprising, when he cautions the white rulers that 'the guerrilla has nothing to lose.' And that in killing a hero of the people, the hero 'becomes a martyr, and the martyr becomes a myth.'... Amazon Review of Queimada - Gillo Pontecorvo's Burn!

The Strength of an Idea

Revisited:Queimada - Gillo Pontecorvo's Burn! "... The young boy who guards the captured Dolores (the rebel leader) stays with him and provides Pontecorvo with a means of allowing Jose Dolores to give his ideas expression through dialogue. Jose Dolores does not assail his captor; he tries to inspire and convert him. He tells the young man that he does not wish to be released because this would only indicate that it was convenient for his enemy. What serves his enemies is harmful to him. "Freedom is not something a man can give you," he tells the boy. Dolores is cheered by the soldier's questions because, ironically, in men like the soldier who helps to put him to death, but who is disturbed and perplexed by Dolores, he sees in germination the future revolutionaries of Quemada. To enter the path of consciousness is to follow it to rebellion.....Pontecorvo zooms to Walker (the English mercenary) as he listens to Dolores' final message which breaks his silence: "Ingles, remember what you said. Civilization belongs to whites. But what civilization? Until when?" The stabbing of Walker on his way to the ship by an angry rebel comes simultaneously with a repetition of the Algerian cry for freedom. It is followed, accompanied by percussion, by a pan of inscrutable, angry black faces on the dock. The frame freezes, fixing their expressions indelibly in our minds.." more

International Frame of the Tamil Eelam Freedom Strggle - Canada

Democracy, Canadian Style - Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne Refused Entry Visa "..It has been reported that you have publicly participated in LTTE activities by personally and knowingly attending and speaking at pro-LTTE events such as PongoThamil in Madrid and London. In addition, you have publicly announced your support for B. Nadesan. As a prominent member of a political party that has historically and consistently shown support for the LTTE we can conclude that your actions constitute membership in the LTTE..." Comment by tamilnation.org "The sequential logic of the Canadian High Commission in Colombo beggars belief. That Mr.Karunaratne has never been to Spain and did not attend the Pongu Thamil event in London is not the question. That the Canadian High Commission's allegation that Mr.Karunaratne had 'personally and knowingly' attended these events was an allegation made with a reckless disregard to truth is also not the question..." more

International Relations in the Age of Empire

1. Global Priority: Feed the Markets, Starve the Hungry - Devinder Sharma "...in the days to come we will see more and more bailouts ... No wonder, Prof Nouriel Roubini of New York University's Stern School of Business had once called it: 'privatisation of profit and socialisation of losses.' ...when financial intelligence fails, and that too with the brightest of the money managers from the best of the business schools in control, you refrain from even pointing a finger. You don't ridicule the chiefs of corporate world nor do you mock at what the so-called prestigious business schools produce. The reason is simple. We are all part of the greed, which in one word can define the reason behind the financial meltdown. In other words, let us accept we are all beneficiaries of a corrupt financial system. Therefore, we refrain from standing up and calling a spade a spade..." more

2. Understanding Financial Mania and Systemic Risk - 'Leveraged Buy Outs', 'Private Equity', 'Hedge Funds' - An interview with Damon Silvers, June 2007 "...Private equity is a term that was designed to mislead people. The term encompasses all sorts of investment funds that take controlling interests in companies that are not public - private companies - through holding equity in them. And it confuses basically three kinds of very different investment strategies... A hedge fund is another term that doesn't tell you much about what it really is. A hedge fund is an informal term for an investment fund that operates under a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) exemption.If you're running an investment fund, you typically have to register with the SEC and comply with the rather extensive set of regulations designed to protect investors. The exemption is that if you're only taking investments from sophisticated investors - from large institutions and wealthy individuals - you have an exemption from these securities rules..." more

Tamil National Forum

1.Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Melbourne, Australia மணக் கொடைத் தடைச் சட்டம் - (சீ - தனம்?!)

Women Guerrilla�தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான போராட்டம், மண் விடுதலைக்கான போராட்டம் மட்டும்தான்� என்று எம்மில் பலர் இன்னமும் எண்ணியும், எழுதியும் வருகின்றார்கள்....பெண்ணிய அடிமைத்தனம், சாதி ஒடுக்குமுறை, வர்க்க பேதம் போன்ற பல சமூகக் குறைபாடுகளைக் களைவதற்கான போராட்டங்களையும், 'தமிழ் மொழி மீட்பு, மண் மீட்பு, நெறி மீட்பு� போன்றவற்றிற்கான போராட்டங்களையும், ஒருங்கு சேர, நடாத்தி வரும் போராட்டம்தான் தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் போராட்டம் என்பதை நாம் இந்த வேளையில் சுட்டிக் காட்ட விழைகின்றோம்." more


2.Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan on
Bertrand Russell, the Pig, the Donkey, the Sheep, the Performing Animals & the cacophonous 'Alternative' Tamil Leadership together with
Comment by tamilnation.org


2. Brian Senewiratne writes from Brisbane, Australia
Sri Lanka - Time for International public protests

"...Genocide has to be done with no witnesses. So the Government of Sri Lanka, in September 2008, ordered the UN agencies and all humanitarian groups, to leave the Tamil North, saying that their safety could no longer be guaranteed... It is up to us in the international community, to see that what goes on behind the closed and censored doors of Sri Lanka is bought to the attention of the international community (IC). By �the international community� I do not mean foreign governments. Most Governments have very well informed Embassies in Colombo and know full well what is going on in the Tamil North and East. There is simply no point in telling them what they know, even better than we do.Those who need to be apprised of the situation are the people, the ordinary decent people in the world, who would baulk at this criminal activity by a so-called �elected Government�, in a �Democratic Socialist Republic�, as Sri Lanka likes to call itself... . Many have asked me, �What are the Tamil Tigers doing about this?� My answer is, �Never mind the Tigers, what are you doing about it? "" more

Reflection


மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும் - Bharathiar

Week Ending: Saturday 20 September 2008

Reflection

"So long as there is widespread support for separatism and militancy in the diaspora, peace in Sri Lanka will be hard to come by... Stronger political and legal pressure should be applied to the LTTE outside Sri Lanka...Western governments� policies on Sri Lanka should consciously include attempts to open up political space within their Tamil communities for non-Tiger political voices. Those governments with significant Tamil populations should engage representative civil society groups directly, ... (whilst) actively guarding against any intimidation of anti-Tiger Tamil groups... The Tigers should also be required to take some real steps towards transformation before being accepted as a negotiation partner. Such moves, however, may well require new leaders (of the LTTE). Peace supporters should consider setting a deadline for renunciation of a separate state, after which they would actively pursue prosecutions of current LTTE leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.... Countries should develop step-by-step benchmarks for progress towards revoking the terrorist designation � in part to encourage Prabhakaran�s removal..." Report by International Crisis Group (with Board Members Former UK Cabinet Minister Lord Patten of Barnes, US Ambassador Thomas R Pickering and former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans), February 2008

Tamils: a Transtate Nation - United Kingdom

UK Foreign Minister Lord Mark Malloch Brown meets British Tamils: Three Reports - One Meeting... together with Comment by tamilnation.org "We may be wrong, but a fair reading of the responses by UK Foreign Minister Rt Hon Lord Malloch Brown suggests to us that the British Government appears to be following an approach not dissimilar to that mapped out in the Report by International Crisis Group in February 2008 - (an International Crisis Group with Board Members Former United Kingdom Cabinet Minister, Lord Patten of Barnes, US Ambassador Thomas R Pickering and former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans)... more

Tamil Eelam Struggle for Freedom - Maveerar - அணையா தீபங்கள்

Commemorating 21st Anniversary of Thiyagi Thileepan's 12 day Fast to Death - 15 September 1987 to 26 September 1987 "...My dear people, for whom did Thileepan die? Why did he die? What is the significance of his death? Thileepan died for the Tamil people. He died for the rights of the Tamil people. He died to safeguard our freedom and our honour.... A life is very, very precious. I am quite aware of that. But even more precious is our freedom, our honour, our rights...தியாகி திலீபன் ஒரு இலட்சிய நெருப்பு.. " Velupillai Pirabakaran on Thiyagi Thileepan more

Tamil Nation Library - Eelam Section

Anita Pratap - LTTETamils in Sri Lanka - A Comprehensive History (C.300 B.C. - 2000 A.D.) by Murugar Gunasingham Ph.D. to include Video: Anita Pratap at Book Launch in Norway

International Relations in the Age of Empire

1. Whither India? Two Views - Top Down and Bottom Up " "...More than 60,000 Americans work in India today. The largest US embassy in the world is its mission in New Delhi, with more than 550 expatriate Americans supported by 2,500 local staff. Indian back-office companies service American banks, mortgage issuers and healthcare providers..." more

2. The Anti-Empire Report - William Blum "I am sorry to say that I think that John McCain is going to be the next president of the United States. After the long night of Bush horror any Democrat should easily win, but the Dems are screwing it up and McCain has been running more-or-less even with Barack Obama in the polls. The Democrats should run on the slogan "If you liked Bush, you'll love McCain", but that would be too outspoken, too direct for the spineless Nancy Pelosi and her spineless party. Or, "If you liked Iraq, you'll love Iran." But the Democrat leadership is not on record as categorically opposing either conflict." more

Reflections

C.N.Annadurai�இந்த நாட்டிலே நம்மவர் வீடு கட்டுவர், அதிலே பல அறைகளும் அமைப்பர். மாட்டுக்கொட்டகை ஒரு பால், பொக்கிஷ அறை ஒருபால், சமையலறை மற்றொருபால் . . . மற்றெதை மறக்கினும் ஆண்டவனுக்குப் பூசை செய்ய அறை அமைக்க மட்டும் மறவார்; ஆனால் அறிவூட்டும் ஏடுகள் நிறைந்த படிப்பறையைப் பற்றிய பகற்கனவும் காணார். படிப்பறை மிகவும் முக்கியமானது. அவசியமானது. அலட்சியப்படுத்தக் கூடியதன்று. ஆயினும் அது அவர்தம் சிந்தனையில் தோன்றாது� Perarinjar C.N.Annadurai

On Commencement of Birth Centenary Year - 15 September 2008 - Perarinjar C.N.Annadurai, One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century

" மனித மேம்பாடே என் இயக்கம்!
தோழமையே என் மேடை!
- கடமை - கண்ணியம் - கட்டுப்பாடு - தெளிவு - துணிவு - கனிவு"

C.N.Annadurai Memoriial, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

"... India is a continent; it should be divided into a number of countries. The continent of Europe has 32 independent countries. No one argues that it should be a single country ruled by a single government. Similarly there is no need for India to be under a single government..." more

Week Ending: Saturday 13 September 2008

On War & Armed Conflict

Revisited Counter Insurgency: Draining the Swamp - Lt.Col. Wade Markel, Army Strategist, U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command's Futures Center, 2006 "...Instead of concentrating immediately upon the areas where the insurgency was strongest, Sir Gerald Templer (in Malaya)... focused on building support for the government where the insurgency was weak. Such a policy had the advantages of gradually accreting strength to the government through enhanced economic activity. It also created the appearance of momentum, and it created a favorable contrast with conditions in areas troubled by insurgents... the vital element in... counterinsurgency efforts was the effective internment of the subject populations, and not efforts at social amelioration. While we would like to believe that "winning hearts and minds" is both important and effective, these examples suggest that the effort is neither essential nor decisive. Instead, what will determine success in counterinsurgency is how effectively the insurgent may be denied access to his base of support... " together with Comment by tamilnation.org "The short question that will arise in many minds (not only Tamil minds) is whether US foreign policy is directed to draining the swamp or creating new ones.....The question that the Sri Lanka government should be asking itself is that perhaps, after all, Tamil Eelam is not Malaysia and the 'format' is not quite the same. " more

Reflections

1. "Twenty years ago, the former head of Israeli military intelligence, Yehoshaphat Harkabi, also a leading Arabist, made a point that still holds true. "To offer an honourable solution to the Palestinians respecting their right to self-determination: that is the solution of the problem of terrorism," he said. "When the swamp disappears, there will be no more mosquitoes... If we insist on creating more swamps, there will be more mosquitoes, with awesome capacity for destruction. If we devote our resources to draining the swamps, addressing the roots of the "campaigns of hatred", we can not only reduce the threats we face but also live up to ideals that we profess and that are not beyond reach if we choose to take them seriously.." Noam Chomsky in Drain the Swamp and There Will Be No More Mosquitoes, 9 September 2002

2. "..The would be conqueror is always a lover of peace, for he would like to enter and occupy our country unopposed. It is in order to prevent him from doing this that we must be willing to engage in war and be prepared for it..." Clausewitz quoted in Philosophers of Peace and War, edited by Professor Gallie

Reports on Armed Conflict in Tamil Eelam to include


Draining the Swamp or Creating New Swamps?

1. Sri Lanka Bombs Killinochchi Civilian Centre & Demonstrates to the Tamil people that 'Political Power Flows from the Barrel of the Gun' "..Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers attacked Killinochchi town Wednesday around 7:00 a.m., wounding a 90-year-old man and a 11-year-old boy and causing damage to 23 houses. A 23-year-old pregnant mother was to be operated due to fetal death, caused by the bombardment and a 1-year-old child was admitted in fainted state, medical sources said. The attack has taken place at the heart of the town where NGO offices, residences, civilian facilities and other offices are located. The Sri Lankan bombers fired 16 bombs and deployed lethal air bursts, causing wide destruction. NGO office of Seva Lanka and a store of OXFAM are located 100 meters from the attack site." more

2. LTTE Destroys Sri Lanka Radar Installation - and finds India at Work "Eighteen years after India withdrew its peace-keeping force from Sri Lanka, two Indian radar operators were injured in an LTTE air raid on a Sri Lankan air force base in the northern district of Vavuniya early on Tuesday.The radar operators belong to the Bharat Electronics Limited, and their presence confirms whispers of renewed Indian involvement in the Sri Lankan war against the Tigers."... more

International Relations in the Age of Empire

Behind The Costly Fannie/Freddie Mortgage Bailout: A Silent Dependence On Foreign Money, Not Just Oil - Danny Schechter "As CBS reports, "Forty-four cents out of every dollar our country owes in public debt is now owed to foreign investors - $2.2 trillion worth. That's nearly 10 percent more than just a year ago... We clearly need the infusion of these funds to keep our economy afloat... Alas, the political parties are still avoiding these issues. One writer who analyzed the convention speeches of the four major office seekers, found that none of them mentioned the words, banks, financial crisis, Federal Reserve Bank or the collapse of Fannie and Freddy. Total references by Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin: 0." more

Reflections

Privatize the profits and socialize the losses...

.... Quoted by Jack Rasmus in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac - Phase two of financial crisis

Media & the Struggle for Tamil Eelam

Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan On Revisiting �Tarzan Lives!� and its Relevance for Tamils

Tamil Nation Library - Eelam Section

Tamils in Sri Lanka by Murugar Gunasingham Ph.D. to include 7 Part Video Interview with Author Dr. M. Gunasingham...


Part 1 of 7 Parts - more

Tamil National Forum

1. Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan Professor Susumu Ohno (1919-2008), the Japanese Linguist � An Appreciation "...Susumu Ohno, the linguist, derived recognition, notoriety and some derision (among some academic circles) for his provocative hypothesis of tracing the affinity of Japanese language to Tamil language. Prof. Ohno introduced this hypothesis at a plenary lecture he delivered on January 5th 1981 at the 5th International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies (Madurai, India). I was fortunate to be an eye-witness to this plenary lecture, which at that moment infused a breeze of fresh air to the staid theme of Tamil linguistic relationships..." more

2. Rajan Sriskandarajah from USA, 15 years ago In Sri Lanka, Partition Can Stop the Violence

Tamil Diaspora - a Trans State Nation

On the 'Sri Lankan Diaspora' Conference in Kuala Lumpur together with Comment by tamilnation.org (as amended on 8 September 2008)"..That efforts should be made by Sri Lanka authorities to make inroads into the Tamil Diaspora is not a matter for surprise... The fact that the Conference in Kuala Lumpur on 28-31 August 2008 was titled an International Conference on THE SRI LANKAN DIASPORA � THE WAY FORWARD spoke volumes. So did the patronage extended to the Conference by the Sri Lanka Ambassador to Malaysia... It appears that a 'Sri Lankan Diaspora' presumably consisting of Burghers, Sinhalaese, Tamils and Muslims are concerned to meet in different parts of the world to map out the 'WAY FORWARD'. The question that arose in many Tamil minds was - 'WAY FORWARD' for whom?.. We ourselves received an invitation on 28 June 2008..." more

International Relations in the Age of Empire


"Charmers of Change"

Understanding Barack Obama - Marc Herold "Whereas Dwight Eisenhower refused to wage war against Vietnam and Cuba, it was John Kennedy, that charmer of change, who launched both of those military disasters.. So what does our contemporary �charmer of change�, Barack Obama, propose regarding Afghanistan?... As Patrick Buchanan points out, candidate Obama has absolutely no exit strategy from Afghanistan other than a presumed military victory. He utterly fails to understand the axiom of the guerilla strategy: the guerilla wins if he fails to lose. For the guerilla it is not about winning pitched battles, it is about continuing the fight... Anatol Lieven of King�s College (London) puts it aptly. Afghanistan is 'becoming a sort of surreal hunting estate, in which the U.S. and NATO breed the very terrorists they then track down.' Candidates Obama and McCain promise more of the same carnage packaged as change."

Week Ending: Saturday 6 September 2008

Tamils - A Trans State Nation: Tamil Nadu

"ஈழத் தமிழர்களுக்கு ஆதரவுக் குரல் கொடுப்பது எனது உரிமை" - லட்சிய தி.மு.க. தலைவர் விஜய டி.ராஜேந்திரன். ".. ஈழப் பிரச்னையில் எந்த இயக்கங்களுக்கும் நான் ஆதரவாகப் பேசவில்லை. வேண்டுமென்றால் என்னைக் கைது செய்து சிறையில் அடைக்கட்டும். தமிழகத்தில் மட்டுமல்ல உலகம் முழுவதும் பயணம் செய்து ஈழத் தமிழர்களுக்கு ஆதரவு திரட்டப் போகிறேன். வேறு மாநிலத்தவர்கள் வெளிநாடுகளில் தாக்கப்பட்டால் மத்திய அரசோ அந்த மாநில மக்களோ அமைதியாக இருந்து விடுவார்களா? அடிபடுவது தமிழன் என்பதால் இந்த அவமதிப்பா?�� more

Tamil Nation Library - Eelam Section

Book Review by M.Thanapalasingham of Tamils in Sri Lanka by Murugar Gunasingham Ph.D.
இலங்கையில் தமிழர் � ஒரு முழுமையான வரலாறு (கி.மு. 300 கி.பி. 2000 ) - கலாநிதி முருகர் குணசிங்கம் - "வரலாறு என்மீது கருணை காட்டும், ஏனெனில் அதை எழுதுவதே என் உள்நோக்கம் என்றார் வின்ஸ்ரன் சேர்ச்சில். " History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it " Winston Churchill" more

Tamil National Forum

1.Sanmugam Sabesan writes from Australia on தொல் தமிழர் முருகனிலிருந்து - நல்லூர்க் கந்தன் வரை ஈழச் சைவத் தமிழ் மக்களிடையே மிகப் பிரபல்யமான, புகழ் பெற்ற கோவில்களில் ஒன்றான - நல்லூர்க் கந்தசுவாமிக் கோவில் தேர்த் திருவிழா ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம் 29ம் திகதி வெள்ளிக்கிழமையன்று கோலாகலமாக நடைபெறவுள்ளது. more

2. Sachi Sri Kantha writes from Japan on War Rhetoric and the Numbers Game


from Ranjan Wijeratne to Anuraddha Ratwatte to Sarath Fonseka to...?

"Just like any average Tamilian possessing a modicum of common sense, I do not trust the contents of what appears in the Colombo�s daily newspapers owned by the Sinhalese media moguls. This is because they strain simple logic inculcated by our primary school teachers. Nevertheless, infrequently some material that gets published in the Colombo newspapers (especially by the Sunday Leader, an anti-SLFP organ) do some justice to common sense. One such commentary appeared in the Sunday Leader of Aug. 24, under the byline Ranjith Jayasundera. It was entitled, �War Rhetoric and the Numbers Game�." more

Mail Us Copyright 1998/2009 All Rights Reserved Home