Asada M Erpini  Every now and then Karunanidhi of Tamil Nadu (TN) wakes up from his slumber (nidhi) and comes out with his favourite topic of the suffering of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. To compete with him there is the TN Chief Minister Jayalalitha harping on her pet theme of the grievance of the […]

Asada M Erpini  According to reports in Hindu on 24th and 22nd May and in many other media, there is a cacophony of protests and howls by the leaders of Tamil political parties in India against the invitation extended to His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka by the next Prime Minister of India to […]

Asada M Erpini The Island on 16th May reported a statement attributed to the Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka that she will not attend the Victory Day Parade, to be held on 18 May 2014. The stance adopted by Canada and the statement by its representative to Sri Lanka are exactly what peace-loving Sri […]

Asada M Erpini Media reported on 23 April that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) – popularly referred by the media as the main Tamil Party although the group is not a registered political party in Sri Lanka – is to seek self-determination for Tamils. The reader cannot help getting reminded of the infamous Vadukkodai resolution […]

Asada M Erpini Sri Lanka’s win in the 2014 T20 World Cup is an apt response to the individuals, the groups and the countries that view the term Sri Lanka as being synonymous with war crimes, deprivation of human rights, lack of democracy, discrimination of Tamils and other minorities and the ‘dictatorship’ of one family […]

Asada M Erpini It is rarely, if ever, that one gets a chance to read the Leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) or those at the higher echelons of the TNA saying anything positive about what the Sri Lanka government is doing. Sumanthiran is now reported to have said that the Parliamentary Select Committee […]

Asada M Erpini The average junior doctor in Sri Lanka earns Rs. 50,000 to 60,000 per month as salary. The situation of university academics is worse: they get a much lower salary and receive no perks as is the case with parliamentarians and provincial council members. Of course the opportunity is there for university dons […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ There was a time, some decades ago, when Canada was viewed as a distant country, which gave aid to Sri Lanka, and not having any malicious intent towards the small island nation. There were Canadian railway engines that chugged along the age old rail tracks, assistance following the December 2004 tsunami and […]

Asada M Erpini A report in the media, dated 14 November, quotes BBC as saying, -UN estimates 40,000 civilians were killed in the last five months of the war-. BBC is obviously referring to the war of liberation that culminated on 19 May 2009. The fact that there was never a UN report that gave […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ A high level business mission is apparently in Colombo now, according to media reports dated 12 November. The gentlemen and the lady constituting the team should be given a plain and simple answer: -You have no business in Sri Lanka-. ‚ The Prime Minister of India has already written to the President of […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ The Sri Lankan Immigration authorities asking Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon and the New Zealand MP Jan Logie, as reported in the media on 10 November, to pack their bags and get out of Sri Lanka is the correct response to their engaging in activities not permitted under the conditions on which they […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ Ever since the military arm of the LTTE based in Sri Lanka was vanquished by the valiant armed forces of the sovereign republic of Sri Lanka, there have been incessant cries of human rights violations by the political and military leadership of the island nation. ‚ The noises made by Human Rights Watch, […]

Asada M Erpini Never a day seems to pass without the Tamil actress turned politician, and now the Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu shedding bucketfuls of tears to highlight the plight of Tamil Nadu (TN) fishermen harassed, shot at or arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy. The latest in her never-ending lamentations on behalf […]

‚ Asada M Erpini An interesting news item that appeared in the media on 06 November is that that was attributed to one Ravi Kumar: -Sinhalese who wish to live in the Jaffna peninsula should be allowed to do so-. The report is interesting from many angles. Firstly, it is heartening to note that there exists […]

Asada M Erpini -Ëœ”We have been left wailing” over Britain-â„¢s Channel 4 video that shows a group of soldiers surrounding a half-naked Tamil lady,” DMK chief M Karunanidhi said-â„¢. That is how some Indian media, quoted by those in Sri Lanka, refer to Karunanidhi-â„¢s -Ëœdesperation-â„¢ after Channel 4 of the UK aired its reportedly fake […]

‚ Asada M Erpini A media report dated 04 November quotes the Indian Prime Minister as having said, -India’s foreign policy is not defined merely by its interests, but also by the values which are very dear to the Indian people-. That certainly is a profound truth and the gentleman needs to be applauded by all, […]

Asada M Erpini A spokesman of India-â„¢s Ministry of External Affairs has said, as reported on 31 October in the local media, that the -relationship between India and Sri Lanka is very strong and should not be characterized as usual-. The response had been given at a media briefing when the gentleman was asked whether […]

Asada M Erpini His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka has given the apt response to the TNA separatists and their backers and instigators when he said -demands for removal of army camps from the North made by some elements will never be a reality-, as reported in the media on 29 October. And, His […]

Asada M Erpini A group in Chennai, is reported on 29 October, to have thrown petrol bombs at Post Offices, damaging an air conditioner in one place. The police have arrested a person belonging to the “Dravidar Viduthalai Kazahagam” -” whatever that group stands for. An air conditioner may be something valuable in Tamil Nadu, […]

Asada M Erpini A Union Minister of India has apparently said, as reported in the media on 26 October, that Sri Lanka-â„¢s High Commissioner to India has overstepped his boundaries, when the latter allegedly said, -those who did not participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) would face isolation-. One does not know […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ Media report on 25 October that the Tamil Nadu Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution, -India should totally boycott the meeting in deference to the overwhelming feeling and sentiments of Tamils-. And, who, may I ask, is behind the resolution? It is none other than the Chief Minister (CM) of Tamil Nadu, […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ A report in the Indian media dated 25 October, reproduced locally, talks of the Indian PM-â„¢s dilemma vis a vis attending the commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in November in Sri Lanka. ‚ In a few places in the report, there is mention of the -human rights issues […]

Asada M Erpini A number of reports have appeared in the Sri Lankan as well as in the Indian media that the Prime Minister of -Ëœmighty-â„¢ India is not yet decided whether or not he should attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in November in Sri Lanka, apparently because […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ Media reported on 17 October that the Chavakachcheri Pradeshiya Sabha, controlled by ITAK, has passed a resolution that it wishes to restore the LTTE cemeteries that the armed forces of the legally elected government of the Sovereign Republic of Sri Lanka destroyed during (and after) the campaign that the latter launched to […]

Asada M Erpini ‚ The poor Prime Minister of India is in a pathetic dilemma: he is reported to have said that he would take all factors into consideration before he makes a decision to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that is scheduled to be held in Colombo, in Sri Lanka, in November. He […]

Asada M Erpini The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is to visit Sri Lanka from 25th of August. Sri Lanka had extended her an invitation to visit the country two years back, but she obviously had her reasons to accede to it only now. It has already been announced that “ƒ”¹…”Civil Society’ representatives have […]

ƒ”š‚ Asada M Erpini The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is reported to visit Sri Lanka from 25th of August, although the country had extended an invitation for a visit two years back. It is already announced that “ƒ”¹…”Civil Society’ representatives have arranged meetings on 26th and 27th with the lady to brief her probably […]

Asada M Erpini A report attributed to the new High Commissioner of India to Si Lanka that appeared on 10 August under the title, “New Indian Envoy to Sri Lanka Keen to Improve Ties”ƒ”š‚ mentions that he is “keen to build on existing ties between the two countries”ƒ”š‚. The issue of building upon ties that […]

Asada M Erpini ƒ”š‚ All land as well as water and mineral resources in the country should be viewed as technically belonging to the state. When the name of an individual appears on a deed, it merely means that the custodian of the relevant land at any given moment is that person, yet the state retains […]

ƒ”š‚ Asada M Erpini The local media reproduced a report that had appeared in the New Indian Express (NIE) on 08th August 2013 penned by V Suryanarayan, a former senior professor of University of Madras. When talking of Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka, he points out, “Tamil political leaders (of Sri Lanka) in the early years […]