Archive for the 'Comments' Category
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Courtesy: Daily News
Wasantha Ramanayake
The Supreme Court yesterday refused Express Newspapers Ltd leave to appeal from a judgement from the Civil Appeal Court.
Appellant-defendants Express Newspapers Ltd, Veerakesari illustrated weekly Editor S. Nadaraja and V. Warja appealed against the judgement of the Provincial Civil Appeal Court that affirmed the judgement of the District Court awarding Rs. 50 million to TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree.
They sought to set aside the judgement of the Civil Appeal Court.
TULF Leader V. Anandasangaree filed the defamation case in the District Court claiming 10 million rupees damages from the respondent-defendants.
Anandasangaree sued the appellant-defendants for an article published in the Veerakesari illustrated weekly dated April 8, 2004 was malicious and defamatory of him.
The Bench comprised Chief Justice Asoka de Silva, Justice Jagath Balapatabendi and Justice P.A. Ratanayake PC.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/11/19/news22.asp
Posted in About Sangary, Comments, Intimidations/Murders, Media, News in Brief | No Comments »
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
Courtesy: Sunday Times
By S. Kotalawala
“politicians like Mr. Anandasangari who have a correct vision of the problem can play a vital role in bringing about lasting peace to the country”
It was the 25th of May 1972, the day following Vesak when I left for Jaffna to take up my first appointment as an uncertificated teacher of English at the Kilinochchi Sinhala Vidyalaya on the basic salary of Rs. 220 a month.
During this period Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar came under the purview of the Regional Director of Education, Jaffna and the post was held by Vijitha Abeyesekera. Next to him was the chief education officer K. Kanagasabhapathi. Kilinochchi was then an education circuit in which the circuit education officer was T. Rasalingam who was later elected to Parliament from the Uduppidy electorate.
When I first stepped down at the Jaffna railway station I heard that a railway compartment had been set on fire as a symbol of protest against the declaration of Sri Lanka as a Democratic Republic. (more…)
Posted in About Sangary, Comments, Media | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
Courtesy: Daily News
Sachitra Mahendra
“Kilinochchi can be described as one of the prominent districts which has produced several illustrious Tamil political figures like V.Anandasangaree……”
The ground-breaking achievement of the strategically important Kilinochchi summons a historical retrospect of northern Sri Lanka as a whole.
Sri Lanka’s arresting geographical position had been more of an Achilles heel as it attracted foreign invaders a good number of times, long before the European involvement. The island had to deal with the major threats of the giant-built neighbour, especially South India. (more…)
Posted in About Sangary, Comments, Election 1960/65, Election 1970/77, Media, TULF & History | No Comments »
Sunday, November 16th, 2008
Courtesy: http://srinivasanvr.blogspot.com/search/label/Anandasangaree
“……one figure stands out. Veerasingham Anandasangaree, of the nearly defunct TULF. Jeyaraj has this well written profile of Anandasangaree. Anandasangaree’s remains the only legitimate voice in Sri Lanka which articulates a just federal solution to the conflict and that which bases itself on a regime that rejects the authoritarian and exclusivist impulses as characterised by the above mentioned sections of the broad polity”.
Of all the commentators, news analysts and academicians who are writing about embattled Sri Lanka and the long drawn out ethnic conflict in the country, I find the most truthful, progressive and humane analysis coming from two sources - one a fearless Tamil expatriate journalist named DBS Jeyaraj and the other an intrepid Sinhalese political scientist, Jayadeva Uyangoda.
Both Jeyaraj and Uyangoda show the ability to think beyond their ethnic confines -something that is a rarity in the ethnic jaundice that has characterised the decades-long war ravaged Sri Lankan country. Both favour a just solution to the conflict and recognise the weaknesses of “identity” based claims of exclusivity that determines the charter on both sides of the conflict. Thus, Jeyaraj fearlessly raises his voice against the authoritarianism of the intransigent and violent LTTE while Uyangoda fiercely critiques any unitarian impulse in the increasingly militant and exclusivist Sinhalese ruling classes. Jeyaraj writes in a host of Sri Lankan and other newspapers (his most recent articles are archived here ), while Uyangoda’s incisive pieces appear regularly as part of the “Letter from South Asia” in the Economic and Political Weekly.
Unfortunately very few in the Sri Lankan polity have shown this ability to think beyond the confines of “ethnic exclusivism” in articulating a solution to the conflict or provide a political line during the same. The Sinhalese polity for e.g. is now comprised of the ruling SLFP which, by all accounts, seems to be a family controlled ethnic majoritarian enterprise for all its lip-service to a political federal solution “after” the military defeat of the LTTE. The other parties in the picture include the even more hawkish JVP whose shameless ethnic nationalism belies the party’s “left” orientation, the communal Jathika Hela Urumaya, a Buddhist monk party whose politicians are the exact antithesis of Buddha’s bhikkus; and the now-hawkish, now-dovish UNP, whose political positions on the conflict change with the wind.
On the Tamilian side, whatever is left of the rump of the polity apart from the LTTE’s minions, are all in more ways than some, beholden to the diktats of the Sri Lankan ruling classes.
Among all this morass, one figure stands out. Veerasingham Anandasangaree, of the nearly defunct TULF. Jeyaraj has this well written profile of Anandasangaree. Anandasangaree’s remains the only legitimate voice in Sri Lanka which articulates a just federal solution to the conflict and that which bases itself on a regime that rejects the authoritarian and exclusivist impulses as characterised by the above mentioned sections of the broad polity.
It is just plain unfortunate that the TULF is hardly any kind of force in Sri Lanka today though. But fierce articulation of the federal agenda by Anandasangaree should eventually force the violent and muddled heads in Sri Lanka today, it is hoped.
Srinivasan Ramani
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
http://srinivasanvr.blogspot.com/2008/11/anandasangaree-and-diminished-voice-of.html
Posted in About Sangary, Comments, Media | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Courtesy: The Island:Opinion
A reply to Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s article titled “In Defence of Douglas Devananda” appearing in The Island of 18.06.2008
Having found no one coming forward to defend me against Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s accusations, I have to write in defence of myself.
An article authored by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka that appeared in “The Island” of 18.06.2008 gave me a great shock. All these years Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s writing were not only supportive of me and of my views, but also very much admirable and hardly with any disagreement.
He once wrote: “He is a model of a moderate representative of any ethnic community anywhere in the world, and must surely be given the chance to serve his people and country in this dark hour. His time to play a role in history has come, if only we give him the chance”. I do not know why he has become very critical of me, all of sudden. He might have had any sentimental compulsion to defend Douglas Devananda, but I cannot understand as to why he should come at me like this. However, what he wrote of me at this juncture is irrelevant, unwanted and uncalled for. My regret is that he has with one stroke of his pen destroyed my image and good name I earned over a period of time as a patriotic non-communal and moderate Tamil leader, loved and respected by a fair section of all ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. (more…)
Posted in Comments, Media, Statements | No Comments »
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Courtesy: The Island
In the run up to the PC polls in August, Opposition politicians are being branded ‘traitors’.
Personalities in the two main parties have been accusing one another of being ‘traitors’. As to how effective it would be as an election strategy is yet to be seen.
Those who accuse others of being traitors find themselves in interesting company.
Adolf Hitler resented Germany’s defeat in the First World War and sought to blame it on ‘traitors’. Traitors, according to him, were the men of the left and the democrats who had accepted the Versailles Treaty forced on Germany by the Allies. (more…)
Posted in Comments, Media, News in Brief | No Comments »
Monday, May 26th, 2008
Courtesy: Daily News
G. D. C. Weerasinghe
“The only democratic Tamil leader who has escaped his gun is the respected V. Anandasangari. There is a set of MPs who had formed the Tamil National Alliance. They are permitted to be alive because they are the puppets of Prabhakaran who carry out his orders”.
Today we publish the twelfth part of the serialisation of the book ‘Conflict Resolution Lessons for Sri Lanka’.
(Picture) Soldiers engaged in liberating the North
During the time the disturbances took place in the South in 1983 quotations from Dr. Hoole’s book illustrate as to how the Vellalar had treated people of low castes in the Northern Peninsula. (more…)
Posted in About Sangary, Comments, Media, TULF & History | No Comments »
Friday, February 29th, 2008
Courtesy: The Island
The TULF President V. Anandasangaree, in a letter to V. Prabhakaran, has made yet another appeal to him on humanitarian grounds, to deviate from the path of violence, that he has treaded on for close upon three decades, which in its wake has caused much death and destruction, in this once peaceful country. He appeals to him to realise his folly even at the 11th hour when the tide is fast turning against him. This letter was published in the The Island of the 21st and 22nd Feb. 2008. Anandasangaree’s letter gives a clinical account of the atrocities committed by Prabhakaran and his ruthless cadres.
All that he has focused on is the truth and nothing but the truth. One wonders how this blood thirsty criminal in the Wanni would respond to it, knowing his past track record. Your guess is good as mine, will it be just pouring water on a duck’s back? Will Mr. Sangaree’s most meaningful letter amount to throwing pearls before swine? All right thinking people appreciate his sincere effort to convince the ‘Sun God’ to wake up to reality at this hour of need. What ever the outcome of this letter, the silver lining is that it should serve as a wake up call to all internal and external forces, whose sympathies are with this ruthless criminal and his terrorist outfit, for reasons best known to them. Time is fast running out, its high time they wake up to reality, failing to do so would be disastrous, and history would label them as traitors who worked hand in glove with the world’s most ruthless terrorist organisation.
Rex Wijewardene,
Dehiwela
http://www.island.lk/2008/02/29/opinion3.html
Posted in Comments, Media | No Comments »
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
Thursday October 12, 2006: We appreciate very much the removal of a particular feature by LANKAWEB which appeared on their website yesterday. The one titled “Prabhakaran, your day of reckoning is come” by Charles Pereira, we felt strongly that it contained racial and religious sentiments that were totally inappropriate and also references made to the TULF leader on rather unfortunate and totally misleading grounds. (more…)
Posted in Comments, Media | No Comments »
Friday, September 15th, 2006
P Shantikumar (9/15/2006 4:25:05 PM)
Absolutely wonderful editorial which emphasizes the need of the hour – peace and tolerance. At a time when the country has forgotten the value of non-violence altogether, Mr Anandasangaree’s stood up to remind everyone of its value. Even those who do not believe in his ability to persuade the Sinhala government, that holds exclusive political power in Sri Lanka, cannot hide their admiration for Mr Anandasangaree for winning such a coveted award as Mandanjeet-Singh prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence, in Sri Lanka.
Congratulations, Sir! Thank you UNESCO. (more…)
Posted in Comments, Media, UNESCO Award | No Comments »
