Asada M Erpiniƒ”š‚ ƒ”š‚  Media report on 04 August that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R. Sampanthan has “expressed disappointment over President’s stance on land on police powers to provinces”ƒ”š‚. He has reportedly stated that the president keeps changing his stance on the subject. His reference obviously is to the President’s recent statement that land […]

Asada M Erpini A report by Kuldip Nayar that appeared in Island on 01 August should be food for thought to the Indian Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, if they are really concerned about the Tamils domiciled abroad or living within India. The report states that 65% of Indians are poor […]

ƒ”š‚ Asada M Erpini Mr.ƒ”š‚  Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) writes to Island on 27 July pointing out the importance of remembering the atrocities of July 23 1983. The opening salvo itself that is directed at Sri Lanka is incorrect. July 23 1983 is not remembered as “ƒ”¹…”Black July’ in Sri Lanka, although Mr. […]

Asada M Erpini There was a time when many Sinhala politicians were embracing Mr Anandasangaree: he was described as a moderate Tamil leader, obviously in contrast to the ITAK and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that took ITAK under its wing. The TULF leader, additionally, was projected to all and sundry as one who was […]

Asada M Erpini A report dated 16 July, quoted in the local media, says that all the accredited journalists should be allowed to enter the country to cover the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Colombo. The request, or demand, seems reasonable on the surface. But what Sri Lanka does is […]

Asada M Erpini The Island carried a statement on 15 July attributed to Sivagnanam Sritharan, Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, that he foiled the attempt by the army to rape 200 Tamil speaking girls demands immediate action. No country has ever witnessed a rescue operation of civilians “ƒ¢¢”š¬…” that included Tamil girls “ƒ¢¢”š¬…” […]

Asada M Erpini The Island carried a news item on 15 July that Sivagnanam Sritharan, Jaffna District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP, foiled the attempt by the army to rape 200 Tamil speaking girls. He probably means that the army is the Sri Lanka army and that the Tamil speaking girls are of Tamil ethnic […]

Asada M Erpini Sri Lankans, on the whole, are ready to accept subservience and docility. This nature probably is related to the fact that most Sri Lankans are Buddhists, a religion that advocates compassion and non-violence, as opposed to some other religions that promote even the killing of those who do not profess their own […]

Asada M Erpini Muthuvel Karunanidhi, the former Chief Minister of Tami Nadu, should be applauded by all peace-loving Sri Lankans. There is clear evidence that some of his grey matter cells are still functioning, although the man is almost 90 years old. According to a report in Hindu dated 12 July, Karunanidhi has suggested that […]

Asada M Erpini The National Security Adviser of Indiaƒ”š‚ has said, according to media reports on 09 July, that his government expects a political solution going beyond the 13th Amendment and meaningful devolution of power to ensure, among other things, the Sri Lankan Tamil community would lead a life marked by equality, justice, dignity and self-respect. […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka has 64 registered political parties. Then, there is a group that goes under the label Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that is not even registered with the Commissioner of Elections. Ironically, TNA is always referred to by the media, including some in Sri Lanka, as a major Tamil political party, in […]

Asada M Erpini A news report on 7th July states that the Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) do not want any amendments to the 13th Amendment: all that the Sri Lankans who value the unitary state can say is, “That is fine. Hold on to your views”ƒ”š‚. UPF should be told in clear terms that what […]

Asada M Erpini According to a report in Island on 03 June, the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) states, “the Sri Lankan government hadn’t done anything to promote national reconciliation”ƒ”š‚. ƒ”š‚ One may be tempted to ask the GTF and others of their ilk, “What have you done to promote reconciliation and to rebuild Sri Lanka?”ƒ”š‚ Now […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) yesterday called for “the Northern Province Governor Major General (Rtd) G.A. Chandrasiri to be replaced with a civilian”ƒ”š‚, according to reports in the media on 23 June. Is there any reason to take the demands, threats and the lamentations of the TNA seriously? ƒ”š‚ The simple answer is “No”ƒ”š‚. […]

Asada M Erpini It is reported that the severe flooding in Western Calgary in Canada has led to around 75,000 people being evacuated from their homes, according to media reports on 22 June. And, what does Canada’s Prime Minister “ƒ¢¢”š¬…” yes, the same Stephen Harper who has so much to pontificate to “ƒ”¹…”bad boy’ Sri […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ Just two days ago you were reported to be dismayed that Sri Lanka was planning to tone down the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka. Please forget about Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka has enough capable people to manage its affairs. ƒ”š‚ There is this piece of news that I came across […]

ƒ”š‚ Asada M Erpini Every Tom, Dick and Harry talks of the 13th Amendment as if it were the panacea for all ills in Sri Lanka, including the “ƒ”¹…”the ethnic issue’, the “ƒ”¹…”deprivation faced by the Tamils’ and anything else that seems to be appealing to the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Canada’s human rights […]

Asada M Erpini Many peace-loving Sri Lankans, who love their country, are bound to respond, “We are dismayed at the pretended ignorance of the Indian Prime Minister as regards what goes on in Sri Lanka as far as Sri Lanka’s Tamils are concerned”ƒ”š‚. The meeting of the six-member team from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) […]

Asada M Erpini One of the most welcome news items for peace-loving Sri Lankans, who value the sovereignty and the national integrity of their beloved Mother Lanka, is that reported in the media on 18 June: the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU)ƒ”š‚ introduced a bill today to abolish the provincial council system. Sri Lankans would, no doubt, […]

Asada M Erpini Sri Lanka is an independent, sovereign nation. The decisions on its constitution and any amendments to it are a matter for its citizens. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) keeps on harping on the need of implementing the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lanka constitution, which was forced upon Sri Lanka under the […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ Media report on 13 June, “TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran has confirmed the visit to India”ƒ”š‚. And, what does the team from TNA intend to do in India: meet the Prime Minister, the ruling Party Leader, the External Affairs Minister and the Finance Minister. One may be forgiven if one mistakenly concludes for […]

Asada M Erpini Mr. R. Sampanthan, please be a Sri Lankan first and foremost. Never a day seems to pass without, Mr. R. Sampanthan, the leader of the so-called major Tamil party, coming out with some statement that he is against attempts to repeal the 13th Amendment to the constitution, to dilute the powers that […]

Asada M Erpini A report in the local media on 06 June states that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Sri Lanka’s major Tamil party, opposes amending the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. First and foremost, the glaring error that gets repeated ad nauseum is that TNA is Sri Lanka’s major Tamil political party: it is […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ One of the most profound truths that had emanated from any Indian politician or a group for quite some time is that announced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led team that is in Sri Lanka at present: the leader in the team, according to media reports on 07 June, has said, “Lankan […]

Asada M Erpiniƒ”š‚  A report in local English daily quotes R, Sampanthan, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader as having said, “neither it (TNA) nor the Tamil people wanted a return to violence.”ƒ”š‚ The Tamils that Sampanthan could claim to represent amount to less than 4 per cent of the population of Sri Lanka. The […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ The statement of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Mavai Senathirajah, reported in the Sri Lankan media on 31 May, that “a power sharing arrangement under a unitary state would not solve the national question”ƒ”š‚ is the clearest indication so far that TNA has not moved an inch away from the separatist […]

Asada M Erpini “The government is trying to alter the demography of the North”ƒ”š‚. This accusation seems to have reached a crescendo since the reconstruction phase of the government of Sri Lanka had commenced following the liberation of the North from the grips of the LTTE terrorists. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is in the […]

Asada M Erpini A person named Sridaran talks of the “confusion”ƒ”š‚ that Asada has suffered when the latter wrote his piece titled “Castigation of Sri Lanka by the Affluent West”ƒ”š‚. He continues that the Tamils go for greener pastures just as the Sinhalese do. Asada has just the following to state: Most, if not all, […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ Media reports on 27 May quote R. Sampanthan as having said, “Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse “ƒ”š‚¦ is not the government”ƒ”š‚. What the gentleman has ignored is that although media correspondents keep on referring to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) as the major Tamil party, the group cannot claim to represent even 4% […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ It has been a series of incessant calls from every human rights preacher and his dog for war crimes investigations as regards how the armed forces of Sri Lanka concluded their campaign, shifting of the CHOGM meeting away from Sri Lanka, giving the Tamils the opportunity to live with dignity or implementing […]