Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Although the leader of the LTTE had said only a few days ago that the capture of Kilinochchi was only a dream of Mahinda Rajapaksa, in truth it was not my dream alone. It was the constant dream of all Sri Lankans, whether Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, who are opposed to separatism, racism, and terrorism, and have always, sought peace, freedom and democracy. Today our heroic troops have made that dream a reality.

A short while ago, our brave and heroic troops have fully captured Kilinohchi that was considered the main bastion of the LTTE. Our have troops have completely taken over the fortress of the LTTE that has been described by our own leaders and accepted internationally as the most powerful terrorist organization in the world.

...they usually get bumped off by the ltte whenever there is even a remote chance of that happening!

There is nothing as 'UNTOUCABLES' they never existed.

Our heroic troops have sacrificed much to achieve this extraordinary victory. They sacrificed their limbs, organs and lives for this noble task. Therefore, on this victorious occasion it is but right that we remain grateful to those heroic troops who have sacrificed so much for the country. On this historic occasion, as the Head of State, I extend the honour and gratitude of the entire nation to our heroic troops. Similarly, I bestow the honour and gratitude of the entire country on the Chief of Staff, Commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Inspector General of Police, the Secretary of Defence, and all commanding officers who gave leadership to this historic victory.

Dalits face discrimination in southern Tamil Nadu

February 27th, 2008 - 9:55 am ICT by admin -
By Papri Sri Raman
Madurai, Feb 27 (IANS) When young Raji, a Dalit, took her one-and-a-half-year-old son to the vaccination centre in her village in southern Tamil Nadu, the baby was denied polio drops. Two new studies have found that despite all the talk of equitable distribution of resources, the condition of Dalits in the region remains dismal.

After the child was denied polio drops Feb 10, an outcry in the local media made the police register cases against six people in the village. Raji s son was then given the polio drops under the hawk eye of the police.

But the story of discrimination was far from over.

Four Dalit families in this village, including Raji s parents, were given two acres of land under a government free-land scheme some eight months ago. The upper castes wanted the families to donate their land to the village, which the Dalit families refused to do.

As a result, the Dalit families and their relatives were boycotted by the village and not allowed to take even water from the village taps.

In Madurai district s Vadugapatti village, to bury their dead Dalits have to walk half a kilometre on a narrow bund strewn with thorns that separates an upper caste man s rice field.

On Feb 2, a Dalit girl, 16, was kidnapped from Kachirayanpatti village near Madurai and raped by an upper caste man. The girl s father, Andisamy, complained to police and the girl underwent a medical check up at the government hospital in Madurai, which confirmed rape.

But police took no action against the culprit identified by the victim.

The Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front has done a random survey across 20 of Tamil Nadu s 30 districts, and is now preparing to launch a state-wide campaign to abolish manual scavenging, which still continues.

The Front s study found that eight million Dalit households lacked proper toilet facilities. Human waste is still carried here as headload , the study said.



Dalits cannot join temple festivals, use footwear and their bulls cannot win in 'jallikattu runs.

A Madurai-based NGO, Evidence, this week released yet another study of Dindigul district that said, Untouchability is practised in all 60 reserved administrative units (panchayats) in the district .

Our motherland wants you to have this commitment and patience for a short while longer. I call upon you to continue with your commitment to the country until the final act of this false Eelam struggle is played to its finish in the small territory of jungle in Mullaitivu it is confined to today, and the LTTE is fully and finally defeated. I also wish to send a message the final message to the LTTE, to lay down their arms and surrender.

why do we even question hindian hypocrisy.....it is so typical and happens as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow!

Background: Our objectives were to assess the acceptance of education regarding HIV infection and transmission and of voluntary HIV counseling and testing among antenatal women in rural Tamil Nadu, and to describe the HIV seroprevalence among women who accept HIV testing. Methods: Women registered in the antenatal clinics at two public hospitals (Namakkal District Hospital and Rasipuram Government Hospital) are being offered the opportunity to participate in an education session on HIV infection and transmission, and, irrespective of participation in the education session, voluntary HIV counseling and testing. The education session consists of a video program concerning HIV, filmed in Tamil Nadu with local actors and in the Tamil language, followed by a question-and-answer session and group discussion led by a trained counselor. Individual, voluntary HIV counseling is provided with a trained counselor. HIV testing is conducted after informed consent is obtained. Whole blood samples for HIV rapid testing are collected by fingerstick. Individual post-test counseling is offered to all women who undergo HIV testing. Confirmatory testing (ELISA and Western Blot assays) is offered to all women with positive results on rapid testing. Results: During the first two weeks, 167 women were registered in the antenatal clinics at the two hospitals, and 165 received voluntary HIV counseling and provided informed consent for HIV testing. Of the 165 tested, 6 (3.6%) women had positive rapid test results for HIV infection (all were confirmed HIV-infected). Conclusions: Preliminary results suggest HIV education and voluntary HIV counseling/testing are well-accepted among a rural population of pregnant women in southeastern India. Among the small number of women tested so far, the seroprevalence rate was over three percent. Data regarding approximately 2000 antenatal clinic attendees is anticipated by mid-2004.