“TID arrests a Tamil woman and 8 year old French daughter” by WATCHDOG

Ms. JeyaGanesh Pakeerathy was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers unit for around four years (exact years unknown). She was heavily injured and was discontinued in 2000. After receiving intensive treatment at home, she recovered. However, even today she is unable to do heavy work.

“Home Is Elsewhere” by Shahnaz Habib for The New Yorker’s ‘Briefly Noted’)

Shahnaz Habib writes for The New Yorker’s ‘Briefly Noted’ a review of the last book of Shobasakti “The MGR Murder Trial “.

shoba

Again and again, the stories in this exciting new collection from Sri Lankan writer Shobasakthi grapple with the question of who a character really is. The writer, who now lives in France as a refugee and has worked as a dishwasher, construction worker and street sweeper over the last 20 years…

via: http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/books/home-is-elsewhere

“Discussing climate change with the Ambassador of France in Sri Lanka” by Jean-Paul Monchau

As the COP20 comes to a close in Peru, France is starting to prepare the COP21 which it will host in 2015, H.E. Mr Jean-Paul Monchau, the Ambassador of France explains the importance of these conferences which are significant milestones in the field of international climate change mitigation. Interview conducted by staff at the French Embassy in Colombo.

via: http://groundviews.org/2014/12/21/discussing-climate-change-with-the-ambassador-of-france-in-sri-lanka/

“Tamil societies and visibility”, 23 mai et “Tamil writers in Exile”, 24 mai 2014 à la FMSH de Paris

Nous tenons à vous informer les dates suivantes ce mois-ci : “Tamil societies and visibility“, le 23 mai après-midi, et de “Tamil writers in Exile” le 24 mai après-midi.
En effet, le programme thématique Non-lieux de l’exil s’associe avec le programme Inde de la Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’homme, ainsi que le Centre of South Asian Studies de l’Université de Cambridge dans l’organisation d’un double panel, les 23 et 24 mai 2014. Ces panels se dérouleront au 190 avenue de France, 75013 Paris.
Le programme et toutes les informations se trouvent sur : http://nle.hypotheses.org/1900
Les intervenants :
Luxmy (Nagaluxmy Sivasamboo) was born in Sri Lanka and left for France in 1981. She obtained a degree in Civil engineering at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. She has been actively involved in the cultural politics of Tamil diaspora in Europe since 1990 and was one of the active members of the Tamil Literature Conference based in Exile from later part of eighties. Luxmy is one of the founding editors of ‘Uyirnizhal’ – a Tamil printed magazine for culture, fine arts and criticism from 2000 and she was one of the editors of the magazine ‘Exil’ (between 1995 to 1999). She has written many articles and critics, also translated numerous articles and short stories from English and French to Tamil.  Most of them appeared in Tamil diaspora journals and webzines. As a publisher (Exil Publication), she has published several anthologies of poetry from 1992.
Delon Madavan is Doctor of Geography at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. He is a researcher affiliated with the Centre for the Study and Research on India, South Asia and its diaspora (CERIAS-UQUAM). His thesis focuses on the socio-spatial integration of the Tamil minority in Colombo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. He studied this minority’s integration through an analysis of their citizenship, their citadinity and transnationality. Delon Madavan is also the author and co-author of several articles and books on Sri Lanka, and Jaffna town in particular. He also organized several conferences on the impact of the Sri Lankan conflict and is a co-director of the website Sri lanka & Diasporas.
Annamaria Motrescu-Mayes is an Affiliated Lecturer and a Research Associate at the Centre of South Asian Studies (CSAS), and a Research Fellow in Arts and Social Sciences at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. Annamaria uses her research, publications and graduate teaching to contribute to the field of visual rhetoric and historical studies. She teaches a course on ‘Visual rhetoric and modern South Asian history’ at CSAS, and is currently designing new visual teaching and research resources in collaboration with the Indian National Council of Educational Research and Training. Annamaria is also the founder of the ‘Amateur Cinema Studies Network’ (http://amateurcinemastudies.org).
Pradeepan Raveendran was born in Sri Lanka in July 1981. He is a self-taught photographer and filmmaker. He has been living in Paris, France since 2004. Pradeepan’s first directorial debut was in 2009 with the short film ”A Mango Tree in the Front Yard”. This film was an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009 and subsequently nominated for a Golden Bear. His second short film ”Shadows of Silence” was premiered at the ‘Director’s Fortnight’ in Cannes International Film Festival 2010. Both films screened at various film festivals.
Remo Reginold is a South Asian Scholar and Performance theorist. He is a doctoral candidate at Cardiff University, and an affiliated scholar with the Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge. From 2008 to 2011 he was a Junior Research Fellow with the Centre for Just Peace and Democracy (CJPD), Geneva. Since 2012 he is affiliated with the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH), Paris, collaborating on the Programme Asie du Sud and Programme Non-lieux de l’exil. Reginold’s areas of specialisation are Phenomenology, Semiotics, Art theories, Ethnographic Studies and Tamil Cultural Studies.
Sujit Sivasundaram is Lecturer in World and Imperial History since 1500 at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. His most recent book is ‘Islanded: Britain, Sri Lanka and the Bounds of an Indian Ocean Colony’ (University of Chicago Press, 2013). In 2012 he won a Philip Leverhulme Prize for History, awarded to young scholars in the UK for contributions to research. He is a Visiting Professor at EHESS this academic year.
source: http://nle.hypotheses.org/1900

“Miss France in Sri Lanka and how to trample the Human Rights” by Delon Madavan

Rue89 put online an article entitled “Miss France in Sri Lanka sunbathing and war crimes ”that reveals and denounces the decision of the Miss France committee to organize the preparation of the beauty contest Miss France 2014 with 33 candidates in Sri Lanka. The decision to develop the South Asian island is not trivial. It will reinforce the efforts of the Sri Lankan government to present itself as a new tourist destination in fashion in order to forget the war years. The Miss France committee should reconsider its choice of Sri Lanka as the host country for this initiative may tarnish the image of France, given the political situation of the island.

The atrocities committed by the warring parties to end the war , which claimed the lives of over 40,000 people, have led the UN to adopt a resolution calling for the conduct of credible and independent inquiry to investigate crimes war which was guilty of Staff of the Sri Lankan army. The Channel 4 documentary “ Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields ”highlighted, evidence supporting the abuses committed by the Sri Lankan troops against Tamil civilians and fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) (summary executions of prisoners of war whose son of the leader of the separatist LTTE 12 years old).

Organizations defending human rights, such as Amnesty International , multiply actions denouncing these crimes and violations of basic rights of Sri Lanka since the end of the war. Several media denouncing the government of President Rajapaksa have been victims of attacks and intimidation . Since February 2013, a group of Buddhist fundamentalists, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), close to the government embarked on a campaign of hatred against minorities. Under pressure from the BBS, Sri Lanka banned the halal labeling for meat sold in the island. Of Muslim shops were attacked by militants BBS. Instead of defending the victims of these extremists, the government imprisoned for more than three months, citing the Terrorism Prevention Act, a Muslim political leaders, Azad Sally . A former ally of the government was imprisoned for criticizing the fundamentalist excesses of BBS. The riots against minorities have also affected the plantation Tamils  ​​while in the north of the island, Tamils ​​denounce the appropriation of land for the benefit of civilian military and militarization populated areas mostly by the Tamil minority. Peaceful demonstrations conducted in Colombo to protest the development of hatred on the island have also highlighted unacceptable intimidation by the security forces and militants BBS.Several protesters were photographed against their will by the BBS and the police also arrested protesters without cause. Faced with all these attacks on human rights and freedom of expression, there are voices on the island and abroad to Sri Lanka not to take the chairmanship of the Commonwealth and the summit between Heads of States of the organization, held in November 2013, boycotted . Canada has already announced his refusal to travel to Colombo. Queen Elizabeth II has declined the invitation for health reasons and send the Prince of Wales. But this decision seems as outlined Channel 4 , more political than medical.

In this context, it is difficult to imagine that the Miss France committee can develop a country, especially a government, which is so controversial. Interviewed by Rue89 on the ethical problem of organizing this week of preparation in Sri Lanka, Sylvie Tellier, CEO of the Miss France, had a shocking answer:

“In all locations, there are problems that arise. In Thailand, there is sex tourism, is that so far we boycott Thailand? No! ”

The Miss France committee can it ethically agree to participate in the propaganda of a government that does not respect human rights? A beauty contest can it ignores human rights which constitute one of the values ​​that our Republic is proud to promote throughout the world? There are no other countries that they would respect French values ​​that could accommodate our miss?

Sources: 

Mr. Daye, “Miss France in Sri Lanka sunbathing and war crimes” in Rue89 (09/05/2013)    http://www.rue89.com/2013/05/09/miss-france-sri-lanka -tan-war-crimes-242171

Madavan D., 2011, “Geography of ‘Refuge Spaces’ of Jaffnese Since the Beginning of the Conflict in Sri Lanka”, in Geography from the villa at war.                                                                                                                                                                                                        http://geographie-ville-en-guerre.blogspot.fr/ 2011/07/geographie-des-espaces-refuges-des.html

Madavan D., 2011, “Geography spaces shelters’ Tamils ​​jaffnais since the beginning of the conflict in Sri Lanka, in D. Madavan, G. Dequirez and E. Meyer (eds.), The Tamil and Sri Lankan conflict, L’Harmattan, collection Geography and Cultures, Paris, pp. communities. 15-44

E. Meyer, “Vote of the Board of the United Nations Human Rights”, in Sri Lanka & Diasporas (22/03/2013)  http://slkdiaspo.hypotheses.org/1731

Channel 4, 2011, “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields: War Crimes Unpunished”                                          http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sri-lankas-killing-fields/4od

Sri Lanka & Diasporas, “An Amnesty International report highlights the violent repression of dissent by the government,” in Sri Lanka & Diasporas (30/04/2013)   http://slkdiaspo.hypotheses.org/1978

A. Buncombe, “Office of outspoken Tamil newspaper Uthayan attacked This in Sri Lanka”, in The Independent

Al Kanz, “Sri Lanka: the halal labeling is left” in Al Kanz (11/03/2013)                                                     http://www.al-kanz.org/2013/03/11/sri-lanka- -halal labeling /

Colombo Telegraph, “Video Evidence: Buddhist Monk Attacks Muslim Owned Fashion Bug,” in Colombo Telegraph

Amnesty International, “Sri Lanka. Arrest of a prominent Muslim politician from the opposition, “in Amnesty International

DBS Jeyaraj, “Sinhala Tamil Mob Attacks at ‘Thondamanpura’ Housing Scheme in Ratnapura District,” in dbsjeyaraj (20/04/2013).  http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/20339 

Sunday Times, “Jaffna Landowners to file more than 1000 cases against military ‘land grab”, in The Sunday Times

CeylonToday.lk, “Is our first military Jaffna town?, In The Independent

S. Jones, Canada Attacks’ evil of Sri Lanka hosting Commonwealth Summit, The Guardian (26/04/2013).  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/26/canada-government-sri -lanka-commonwealth

Channel 4, “A Right Royal Sickie”

Colombo Gazette, “Police, BBS block peaceful vigil” in Colombo Gazette (12/04/2013).   http://colombogazette.com/2013/04/12/police-bbs-block-peaceful-vigil/ 

We would like to thanks english.athirady.com website administrators for having translate the original article from french to english