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Archive of entries posted on October 2009

US Tamil Tycoon Rajaratnam fights tough legal battle

30 October 2009, 12:55 pm

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Members of the extended family were inundated with messages of sympathy,solidarity and support from relatives,friends and well-wishers when New York based Hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist Raj (Rajakumar) Rajaratnam was arrested and produced in a Manhattan court on Friday October 16th.

Raj Rajaratnam

The beleaguered billionaire whose net worth was estimated by “Forbes” to be US$ 1.3 billion faced four charges of conspiracy to commit security fraud and nine counts of securities fraud.

He was released on US $100 million bail with $20 million as collateral. Rajaratnam’s travel documents were also impounded. He was forbidden to travel more than 110 miles of his Manhattan residence.

The 52 year old Tamil tycoon is the founder and managing general partner of the Galleon group of funds. According to “Forbes” Rajaratnam is the 551st richest man in the world and 236th richest in the USA.

Filed under Current affairs.
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From “Dravida Naadu” Separatism to “Tamil Naadu” Secessionism

9 October 2009, 12:52 pm

By D.B.S.Jeyaraj

After the tryst with destiny on August 15th 1947 Independent India embarked on it’s historic journey. In what was then the Southern state of Madras the “double-barreled” Dravidian movement comprising the Dravida Kazhagham (DK) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) commenced it’s own march towards the goal of Dravida Naadu.

All smiles: Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister, K. Kamaraj, Congress leader, and C.N. Annadurai, Chief Minister, at Madras Harbour prior to the Prime Minister’s departure for the Andamans on February 3, 1968-pic: The Hindu

Initially both the DK and DMK focused more on social reform rather than political emancipation from New Delhi. Both remained steadfastly opposed to Hindi imposition, North Indian domination and Brahmin supremacy.

Filed under Current affairs.
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Tragic fate of TRO employees abducted by TMVP in January 2006

7 October 2009, 11:29 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

It was in January 2006 that some employees of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) were abducted and later killed by members of the breakaway faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias Karuna. While the Karuna faction later became known as the Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal (TMVP) Karuna himself along with a section of his loyalists has joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and is now a vice-president of that party.

I came across an article I had written on the first anniversary of two separate abductions of TRO employees by the Karuna faction then coordinated by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyaan. Seven TRO personnel were killed. One was a woman. She was gang raped before death.

Filed under Current affairs.
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Sexual violence in the past by police and security forces against Tamil women

5 October 2009, 9:40 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks while addressing the UN security council had an inaccurate reference about the Sri Lankan armed forces using rape as a tactic of war .

This is the relevant quote from the US Secretary of State:

“The resolution we passed today represents a step forward in our global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children in conflict zones, and it builds on two prior Security Council resolutions: Resolution 1325, which called on all parties in conflicts to respect women’s rights and increase their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts; and Resolution 1820, adopted last year, which affirms the ambitions set out in 1325, and establishes a clear link between maintaining international peace and security, and preventing and responding to sexual violence used as a tactic of war to target civilians. Yet despite these actions by the United Nations Security Council, violence against women and girls in conflict-related situations has not diminished; in fact, in some cases, it has escalated.

Now, reading the headlines, one might think that the use of rape as a tactic of war only happens occasionally, or in a few places, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Sudan. That would be bad enough, but the reality is much worse. We’ve seen rape used as a tactic of war before in Bosnia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. In too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.”

Predictably Secretary Clinton’s comment evoked a storm of protests in Sri Lanka.While there have been many instances of rape during the course of the long war of many decades in Sri Lanka there have been no allegations of this particular type.

Filed under Current affairs, Film.
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Indian Independence and The Periyaar-Anna break-up

2 October 2009, 12:56 pm

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

It was in 1939 that Eevera Periyar organized the Dravida Nadu Conference for the advocacy of a separate, sovereign and federal republic of Dravida Nadu.In a rousing speech on December 17, 1939,Periyar proclaimed “Dravida Nadu for Dravidians”. This replaced the earlier slogan “Tamil Nadu for Tamils”.

July 1940 saw a secession committee being formed at the Dravida Nadu Secession Conference organized by Periyar’s disciple CN Annadurai known as Anna (elder brother) at Kanchipuram his hometown. In this conference Periyaar displayed a map of the envisaged Dravida Naadu.It basically corresponded to the existing Madras Presidency.

But there were some who spoke of a Greater Dravida Naadu incorporating regions in Burma, Singapore, Malaya and Ceylon where Tamils were concentrated. This was not a serious demand and was made by insignificant personalities.

CN Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi and MG Ramachandran

Filed under Tamil Nadu.
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