Defence Sec opens Buddhist temple in Kilinochchi

18 October 2013

A newly constructed Buddhist temple was ceremoniously opened in the Northern provincial area of Kilinochchi, today.

The temple, which was constructed by the military security forces, was opened by the Secretery of Defence and Urban Development, Gotobaya Rajapaksa and the Commander of the Army, Daya Ratnayake.

Ceremonies were held throughout the night in anticipation of the official opening of the temple in the early hours of the morning.

Gross religious betrayal exposed of Maduluwawe Thera, Bellanwila Thera and so called Buddhist sentinels
(Lanka-e-News-18.Oct.2013, 11.30PM) It is with immense shame, deep regret and overwhelming grief Lanka e news reports in the best interests of pure Buddhist tenets and true followers that a group of leading monks who are in the frontline of Sri Lanka's Sangha sacrosanct activities and pose as sentinels of the Buddhist faith, after preaching and screaming against the casino gambling business had even before the spit within their mouths which were mixed with their utterances could dry up had tumbling over one another gone and collected gifts worth many millions from the casino King by falling at his feet .

A group of religious leaders of many faiths held a media briefing yesterday (17) at noon at the Abeyrama Vihara , Narahenpita , Colombo against the gazette notification granting tax relief to the casino moguls which is to tabled in Parliament on the 24 th and 25 th. At this meeting after waxing eloquent about their great love for their faiths and the country , they stated that the religious leaders of the faiths are ready to take to the streets against the casino business proliferation. Ven. Kotugoda Dhammavasa Thera most vociferously said , he would go on a door to door campaign to get the people to the streets to oppose these proposed gambling businesses.

This meeting was held with the participation of Sangha members the parading sentinels of Buddhism which included Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera who is cherishing the worldly dream to be a candidate at the next Presidential election , Ven. Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera , Banagala Upatissa Thera , Ven. Theeniyawala Palitha Thera and Ven. Muruthettuwe Ananda Thera , and Rev. archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of the Catholic faith and a Hindu priest.

After the meeting was over and the prelates of the other faiths have dispersed , the most ‘venerable’ sentinels of the Buddhist faith made a bee line to the super luxury Restaurant ‘ Maharaja palace’ located in front of Royal College, Colombo 07 belonging to Ravi Wijeratne , the SL Casino mogul. These so called Buddhist sentinels who were so vociferous and vicious against casino business a few moments ago deemed it right to be inside the luxurious restaurant of ‘King’ of casino dens a little while later , and selfishly too , after having waited until the other non Buddhist Prelates have gone. In other words these ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ monks or the Jackal team who were so loudly denouncing casino and its moguls had a moment later without any sense of shame , decency or respect for the Buddhist faith crept into the very venue of Ravi Wijeratne the local casino partner of the Australian casino ‘King’.

The names of the Sangha sentinels who made a disgraceful beeline to the Casino mogul’s restaurant for a dhana (feast) at noon after openly and loudly condemning those Moguls and their business at the media briefing just a moment earlier and even before they have swallowed the spit of their verbiage smelling worse than garbage are enumerated hereunder :

Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera 
Professor Bellanwila Wimlaaratne Thera 
Iththepane Dhammalankara Thera
Kotugoda Dhammawasa Thera
Muruthettuwe Aananda Thera

The lavish gifts , presents and atapirikara were distributed to them after the dhana. Each of these monks of this ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ team of monks received gifts or ‘kappam’ (extortion ) valuing over a Rs. One million !

These avaricious monks who sold their religion and souls for material gains when they are expected to renounce wealth in the name of religion ,wished and prayed to their deities when leaving with prodigious amounts of gifts and presents in vehicles that they will not be noticed by the media .Unfortunately for them that prayer was not answered by their deity . How will it be answered ? when they had sold their deities and souls already ruthlessly and cheaply to casino moguls, which fact they had forgotten in their overriding greed for mundane gifts worth millions.

The inside division of Lanka e news which unlike these hypocritical Buddhist sentinels hankering after mundane possessions , having the divine gift of sensing and sniffing these sordid activities was able to track down these evil and sinister activities of the so called sentinels of the Buddhist faith who are parading as paragons of virtue cheating the gullible and innocent followers wholesale. 

The ‘most venerable’ sangha members why don’t you do a little soul searching for your own benefit ?

Isn’t the Devadhatthaya , who dropped a stone on the head of Lord Buddha much better than all of you ? for , at least he repented at last before he went to hell , and began abiding by the Buddhist tenets. 

Isn’t Judas who betrayed Jesus infinitely better than all of you ? for , he hanged himself to death thinking of the sin he committed .

On the other hand, you sangha members are deceiving the followers and betraying the masses who are holding you in high esteem mistakenly, and besides you have no qualms about the evils and egregious hypocrisies you are committing selling the very religion that teaches you not to do those evils . What amount of ‘crimes’ in the name of religion will you commit in the future ? 

We therefore make a humble plea to you in the name of true Buddhism and the poor people of the country who are looking up to you to lead the country aright , to make a confession of your countless sins before it is too late , and extricate yourselves from eternal damnation and hellfire, as well as save yourselves from the wrath and fury of the people that may befall you lest they became aware of your gross betrayals, unpardonable hypocrisy and devilish avarice which ignominiously surpass even the most extreme evils committed by Devadhathaya and Judas. 

Understanding State Racism

by Izeth Hussain-October 18, 2013

The greatest enemy of the Sinhalese is not the Tamil or the Muslim or the Indian or the Westerner. The greatest enemy of the Sinhalese is the Sinhalese State racist. As I explained in my article Reflections on State Racism in The Island of October 12 the Sinhalese State racist has his hands on the levers of State power, and he can deploy State power together with his associates both within and outside the network of the State. Because of the enormous State power that he can wield, he is an infinitely more noxious creature than the average Sinhalese racist. His ostensible enemies are the Tamils, the Muslims, the Indians and the Westerners. But he has harmed the Sinhalese most of all. And, unless he is stopped from proceeding merrily with his further depredations, he can even bring about the break-up of Sri Lanka.

Understanding State Racism by nelvely

The UNP Crisis: Is The UPFA Government Taking Sides?

By Rajan Philips -October 20, 2013

Rajan Philips

It really does not matter who is in the middle of whom: whether the government is in the middle of the UNP crisis or whether the UNP is in the middle of the government.  Beneath the all-powerful presidency the two major parties are seamlessly meaningless in parliament.  For party differences and loyalties you have to go out of town.  There you will find differences not only between parties but also within parties.  At the last PC elections, the UPFA contestants were at war with themselves for the coveted Chief Minister position and the six crumbs (four Ministers, Chair and Deputy Chair) of the PC system.  The UPFA battles are not over even after winning the elections, but a new battle has erupted within the UNP after losing yet another two elections.  The Matara mayhem, as it has been alliteratively called, has exposed not only the seething discontents within the UNP, but also the two timing enthusiasm of the UPFA government over the internal affairs of the UNP.

The Matara mayhem is also a microcosm of the national malaise, to keep extending the alliteration.  The bazar fracas showed many things, or everything endemic about our current politics.  It showed the provincial turf wars and caste loyalties that are now among the drivers of national politics.  One politically migratory bird (Mangala) took on another geographically migratory bird (Sajith).  There was father-son solidarity that is as old as Lanka’s modern politics, but demonstrated now with the burst of gunfire.  The usually missing-in-action national police were to ready to arrest even before a crime was committed.  The UPFA – in parliament and elsewhere – has been gleefully sending out mixed messages.  The beleaguered Ranil Wickremasingh is still the official Presidential favourite to lead the opposition.  But some of the UPFA Ministers are cheering the disgruntled challenger, Sajith Premadasa.  On whose side are these Ministers in the UPFA infighting in Kandy, where even the Prime Minister joined a street protest for his son who had been denied the Chief Minister position in the Central Province?

Ranil, Rajapaksas and the UNP’s DNA   Read More

Protest against casino bill

By Rashini Mendis-

 

Sunday, 20 Oct 2013

Coalition partner of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Government, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), along with other national movements, is to launch a massive protest campaign against the move to pass the Strategic Development Project Bill in Parliament, which is supposedly aimed at promoting casinos.

General Secretary of the JHU, Udaya Gammanpila, told Ceylon Today, that his party will engage in a massive protest against casinos along the Parliament Road on 23 October and distribute leaflets urging parliamentarians to vote against the Bill, which is to be presented to Parliament the same day.

“We hope to meet the Maha Nayake Theras of the three main Chapters and make them aware of the negative influence that casinos can have on the society, culture and moral values,” Gammanpila said.

The decision to protest against the Casino Bill was arrived at on 17 October, during a meeting between Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, Ven. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thera, Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, Ven. Dr. Ananda Thera, Anagaika Dharmsekara, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, Udaya Gammanpila and Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe. Meanwhile, President of the Anti-Imperialism Movement, Ven. Dambara Amila Thera also expressed strong opposition to setting up casinos and urged everyone to join hands to fight against casinos. 

Army denies North rape claims

October 18, 2013

The army has denied allegations that troops in large numbers are responsible for sexual violence, sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation and other types of violence against women and girls.

Army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that there have been repeated attempts to draw a “non-existent correlation” between the presence of the military in the North and insecurity of women and girls in that region.

He said that during the conflict period (January 2007 – May 2009), seven Security Forces personnel were reported as being involved in five incidents of sexual violence in the North. This is out of a total of 125 persons accused in 119 incidents for the entirety of the Northern Province. The ethnicity of the victims of these cases is 4 Sinhalese and 1 Tamil.

In the post conflict period (May 2009 – May 2012), the army spokesman says 10 Security Forces personnel were reported as being involved in 6 incidents of sexual violence in the North. This is out of a total of 307 persons accused in 256 incidents for the entire Northern Province. The ethnicity of the victims is 2 Tamil, 1 Muslim and 3 Sinhalese.

“Legal action has been taken by the Government in all of the above cases in which the Sri Lankan Security Forces personnel have been involved. The military has taken strict action to either discharge or award other punishments to these personnel. Furthermore, cases have also been filed in civil courts, some of which are pending in Courts and with the Attorney General’s Department,” the army spokesman said.

He says the inference that the presence of the military contributes to insecurity of women and girls in the former conflict affected areas is baseless and disingenuous.

“This is a part of yet another attempt by those with vested interests to propagate a culture of fear and apprehension amongst the people of the North with regard to the presence of the military in those areas,” the army spokesman added.

The spokesman insisted that the Armed Forces do not condone such acts of violence against women and girls and has taken concrete action against reported cases. (Colombo Gazette)

Maldives presidential poll stopped by police

SATURDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2013

Maldives police have stopped a fresh presidential poll that was to be held on Saturday, the archipelago’s Election Commission said, despite a court ruling that the poll could go ahead.

The Indian Ocean chain of tropical holiday islands has been in turmoil since February 2012 when former president Mohamed Nasheed, who won the Maldives’ first free elections in 2008, was ousted in disputed circumstances his supporters called a coup.

The latest delay could see a rise in violence. Nasheed’s supporters have been demanding a free and fair election and have staged violent protests since he was ousted.

Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek said police had surrounded the commission’s secretariat.

"We cannot proceed with the election if police are obstructing it," Thowfeek told a news conference. He said the commission was disappointed and frustrated and that police had "overstepped their authority".

Thowfeek also doubted the election could be held before the end of the current presidential term on November 11.

Commission member Ali Mohamed Manik said: “This is a dark day for democracy”.

Nasheed looked set to win a run-off vote on September 28, after he came first in a September 7 first round. The Supreme Court cancelled the run-off, citing first-round fraud, despite international observers saying the election was free and fair.

The court later ordered a fresh election by October 20 and a run-off by Nov 3, if required.

The Supreme Court upheld that decision in an early-morning ruling on Saturday after a request by the election commission.
There was some confusion over whether the election could go ahead with or without candidates signing a new voter registry.
The voter registry, which Nasheed’s party has signed, was not ready by Friday because of objections by some of his rivals.

The police, who played a major role in ousting Nasheed, said they would not support an election held “in contravention of the Supreme Court verdict and guidelines”.
Nasheed was forced to resign last year after mutinying police and military forces armed opposition demonstrators and gave him an ultimatum.

In the latest election he faces resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim, who was finance minister under Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years and was considered a dictator by opponents and rights groups. The incumbent president, Mohamed Waheed, is not contesting the election.

Critical issues the new president will face include a rise in Islamist ideology, human rights abuses and a lack of investor confidence after Waheed’s government cancelled the country’s biggest foreign investment project with India’s GMR Infrastructure.

Nasheed, who once held a cabinet meeting under water, with members in scuba gear, to highlight the danger of rising sea levels, won the September 7 polls with 45.45 percent of the vote, short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a run-off.

Tension has been high in recent weeks. Men in masks fire-bombed a television station that backs Nasheed on October 7.(Reuters)

Spanish Court to Hear Rights Case Against Former Chinese Leader

October 20, 2013

A Spanish court has agreed to hear a lawsuit alleging that China's former president, Hu Jintao, committed genocide in Tibet.

The suit, filed by the Tibet Support Committee in Madrid, alleges that Hu was responsible for repressive programs when he was the top Chinese official in Tibet from 1988 to 1992. It also says as China's president from 2003 to 2013, he was responsible for additional crimes against Tibetans.

In a ruling released Thursday, an appeals court said the Spanish legal system allows the suit to be heard because at least one alleged victim of genocide is a Spanish citizen.

The plaintiff in the case is a Buddhist monk, Thubten Wangchen, who spoke Friday with VOA's Tibetan Service. He calls the ruling a good decision.

"I think this will make the Chinese leaders to be more careful in the future and give a message that they can’t bury the truth about it," he said.

China has criticized the court decision, saying Tibet's affairs are a domestic concern. The Foreign Ministry said it rejects interference by other countries in its internal matters.

Alan Cantos, with the Tibet Support Committee, said members of the group are "ecstatic" over the ruling.

"They are saying this case is well founded, the court is competent, the national connection is there, so there should be no attempts to derail it, you know, for other reasons or with bad arguments," said Cantos. "And they completely agreed with just about everything we had been saying against Hu Jintao."

Cantos said there had been fears the court would be swayed by diplomatic or economic concerns, but those proved unfounded.

Many Tibetans say the Chinese government harshly suppresses their traditions and religious practices. They say Beijing also has allowed tens of thousands of ethnic Han Chinese to move into the autonomous region, and they are exploiting its resources and economically dominating ethnic Tibetans.

China says since it took control of Tibet in the 1950s, it has raised living standards. Beijing authorities consider the region's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to be a separatist trying to create an independent Tibet.  The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, denies this.

Sri Lanka: a country ruled as a family business by four brothers

The four Rajapaksa brothers rule Sri Lanka, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the top

By David Blair, Colombo- 17 Oct 2013      

                 

Left: Sri Lanka's defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Right: President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Photo: GETTY IMAGES/REUTERS

Sri Lanka is a country ruled by four brothers who have turned their country’s government into a family business. At the apex sits President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who won office in 2005 and was re-elected in 2010 after victory in the civil war.

Almost as powerful is his younger brother, Gotabhaya, who serves as Secretary of Defence. He was a key architect of the campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that climaxed with the assault on Mullaitivu beach, claiming 40,000 lives in 2009.

Since then, the reconstruction of the north has been handled by the president’s youngest brother, Basil, who is minister of economic development. His face appears alongside the president’s on the billboards that hail every new road and school.

^{Left: Speaker of Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa. Right: Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. (GETTY IMAGES)}

In theory, the “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka” has a constitutional separation of powers between parliament and the executive. In reality, the eldest Rajapaksa brother, 70-year-old Chamal, serves as Speaker of Parliament.

Meanwhile, a son of the president, Namal Rajapaksa, 27, is an MP from the ruling party. If you include sundry cousins and relatives by marriage, then members of the Rajapaksa clan can be found in every important ministry and province. Yet the most effusive praise is reserved for the president. While other brothers appear on official posters, only Mahinda Rajapaksa, the supreme brother, does so alongside the emphatic slogan: “Live Forever!”

Prime Minister's Sri Lanka trip defended

Thousands are still missing after a long and bitter civil war that ended in 2009. Photo: ITV News

• UK
• Sri Lanka
• -Foreign Office-Thu 17 Oct 2013

MPs have criticised the Sri Lankan government's record on human rights and the British government for agreeing to take part in an important commonweath meeting there in an month's time.

Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi said the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary William Hague will attend because "it is the right thing to do for the Commonwealth".

Yet reports of torture continue - especially against members of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority. ITV News has obtained two accounts of such torture.

Watch this report from our International Editor Bill Neely, explaining the history behind the latest tales of horror:

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has accused the Government of being too timid and inconsistent in its policy towards Sri Lanka over human rights abuses.

Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, has said he will stay away from the meeting.

Labour spokesman Lord Triesman said it was fundamental to the role of the Commonwealth that human rights violations were addressed.

Accusing ministers of a "muted response" to the criticism, he said the UK delegation could not be "more heavyweight" and the decision to attend had been taken "too early.

"From a Commonwealth point of view I believe that is simply unacceptable."

13A Bogey Takes A Beating In The South

by Upul Joseph Fernando

( October 17, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) By all indications, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has all of a sudden got a great liking for the Northern Province (NP) Chief Minister, C.V. Wigneswaran. This could either be a political ploy, something he is very adept at, to drive a spanner into the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) machinery or an ‘insurance policy’ ensuring the support of the TNA at a future Presidential election.

13A Bogey Takes a Beating in the South by nelvely

An Appeal To CM Wigneswaran And Other Elected TNA Members Of The NPC

By Ratna Bala -October 18, 2013

People who couldn’t get beyond nanthikkadal and mullivaikkal have blessed you all. In their total silence they prayed. They wished for you all to hold your head high and stand in front of their people to pledge them. You will look after them on their behalf in the coming years. In that hope they rest in peace believing their parents, children, wives and husbands will be looked after in their absence. They  shed their remaining tears to thank you all for doing everything possible to take care of them.

Wigneswaran

I am sure you are all aware of your responsibilities and people’s expectations. It’s not difficult to understand the suffering these people have gone through all these years. Their family, parents and children have gone through continuous multiple displacements with the fear of losing someone in the family or himself at any moment. Along the way they have lost their properties and whatever they earned with years of hard work. Brutality and cruelty of war took the lives of many of their children, family members and friends. They got suffocated in mullivaikkal and found alive in manik farm refugee camps in difficult conditions. Finally they were dumped again with nothing to begin their life in the middle of heavy military presence whom responsible for the loss of their loved ones.

Since their return they were holding on to their life with minimal available resources. They need substantial help to stand on their feet. Without your help they won’t be able to hold on to their life too long. I hope you all understand the urgency to assist them. It is with this hope in spite of every difficulty they all came to cast their vote. They have participated in this election as our country had never seen before to elect you all as their representatives. I beg you all to keep this in your heart in every decision you make in the NPC.

Last four years TNA was not been able to contribute significantly to provide assistance to affected people due to several reasons. Now being elected with big majority to NPC you should be ready roll your sleeve and get into action as soon as possible to serve them. It is the mandate given to you by the people as your shot term goals highlighted in your manifesto. Deviating from this short term goal of doing everything possible to alleviate the suffering of these people may be equal to crime against humanity. Please do not commit such crime. I call upon my people to hold you all responsible if you all commit such crime with utter selfishness and arrogance of power. I hope all TNA affiliated parties will realise the immediate need in front them as elected members and behave responsibly to unite their collective energy and resources. Everyone wish NPC to perform effectively to overcome the challenges ahead of them.

What can be done by the NPC to improve the resettlement, reconstruction, reconciliation and recovery of our war affected people and develop NP.                                      Read More

EPRLF NPC member took oaths before CM

[ Friday, 18 October 2013, 01:33.36 PM GMT +05:30 ]

ERPLF Northern Provincial Council member Indiraraasa took oaths before Northern Chief Minister C.V.Wigneswaran today (Friday).

CM visited the opening ceremony of divisional secretary building at Sanganai today and also EPRLF member took oaths before CM today. EPRLF General Secretary and the parliamentarian Suresh Premachchandran were also present at this opening ceremony event and fail to present at the swearing in ceremony.

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The Victory Of The ITAK: The Challenges And Tasks Faced By The People

By Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe -October 18, 2013

Ajit Rupasinghe

The overwhelming electoral mandate given to the ITAK by the people of the Northern Province has a depth of historical significance that should be grasped and acted upon. It has decisive consequences for the future of Lanka. First of all, the people’s mandate embodies the reality of the majority of the oppressed Tamil and Moslem people in the North- both as oppressed nationalities and as a super-exploited and oppressed economic class. Together, they have expressed their desire to seek a path of freedom and liberation away from the suppression and subordination of the State. The Lankan State has been delivered a historical verdict by the people of the North. The people’s mandate and the electoral victory of the ITAK achieves historic significance only in this context. It is beyond debate that the Lankan State, under the Rajapakse Regime, has been transformed into a highly centralized unitary State, where all power is vested and concentrated in an omnipotent Executive Presidency, standing above the People, above the Law and the Constitution. A State controlled and commanded  by the Rajapakse Troika. This absolute dictatorship is exercised by entrenching and enforcing a Sinhala supremacist agenda, under the banner of Sinhala-Buddhist Chauvinism and Patriotism. It is directed at perpetuating hegemony and domination over all other nationalities. This as a strategy of dividing, deluding, derailing and suppressing the revolutionary class struggle of  the proletariat and the oppressed masses of  Lanka, which alone can bring the whole system down. The exercise and enforcement of undisputed and undivided dynastic dictatorship in perpetuity throughout the length and breadth of the Land of Lanka is the overriding agenda of survival of the Regime. This is to be secured by the politics of militarized chauvinism and totalitarian dictatorship. This is its condition of survival.

The election to the Northern Provincial Council itself was a supreme contest of political will and determination. The Regime tried its best to repeal/ decapitate the 13th Amendment before the election. It failed only due to the demand by India that its paramount status as the regional hegemonic power be acknowledged and that no country or state in the whole region may act to challenge or disrupt the geo-political status-quo. The consequences would be serious. That was the gist of the message. The Regime simply backtracked  and caved in. Why has the 13^th Amendment turned into a political volcano simmering far more violently than when it was first introduced? The abolition of the 13^th Amendment is intended to axe the very identity and existence of any nation or nationality other than the Sinhala-Buddhist Nation that shall exercise the exclusive, undivided and undisputed supreme right to Nationhood and Statehood. It is in the face of this mortal threat posed to their very existence and political status as distinct nationalities that the election was held in the North. The electoral victory of the ITAK is nothing less and nothing more than the victory of a people’s mandate for liberation from national oppression, military occupation, exploitation, destitution and degradation. It is an expression of the aspiration to stand tall and equal as citizens of Lanka and claim the fruits of the 21^stCentury.

Read More

Trustee Juanita Nathan to seek Federal 

nomination in the new riding of Markham-

Thornhill

For Immediate Release October 17, 2013

(Markham) – York Region School Board Trustee, social worker and long time Markham resident Juanita Nathan has announced that she will be seeking the Federal Liberal nomination in the new riding of Markham-Thornhill. The City of Markham is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. The formation of the new Markham-Thornhill riding reflects the growth of the city and the strength of its diversity. With her academic and professional background in social work, grassroots advocacy, and significant experience as a public school board trustee, Ms. Nathan promises to continue to be a strong voice for residents of Markham-Thornhill at the federal level.

“I am thrilled to put forward my name for the Federal nomination with the Liberal Party of Canada and look forward to continuing to work with residents on building strong and vibrant communities.” said Ms. Nathan. “Diversity of this region has changed and so has the social and economic needs of our communities. Together, we will build on our strengths and successes while addressing the gaps in social and economical well being to benefit all Canadians” added Ms. Nathan.

Over the past years, as Trustee in Markham wards 7 & 8 which encompasses most areas of the new riding of Markham-Thornhill, Ms. Nathan has increased parent engagement with schools through a number of workshops and forums, and increased community partnerships. Ms. Nathan is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, serves on the board for Canadian Mental Health Association – York and South Simcoe, York Region Equity Council and with the Canadian Tamil Congress.

Biography:

Juanita Nathan is a public school board trustee, a community youth outreach worker, seniors support staff, and a counsellor for women fleeing violence. Juanita dedicates her time and energy striving to make positive changes in the lives of youth, parents and seniors.

Whether it’s empowering youth to see education as a gateway to success; supporting women to live a life free of violence; or ensuring that seniors are active and informed about their health; Juanita plays an instrumental role in the lives of many individuals and families. Juanita strongly believes parents must be fully engaged in their children's education to ensure success.

Her record on community involvement and grassroots engagement is exceptional. After graduating from Brock University with a BA in Psychology, Juanita went on to complete a special project for the Ministry of Attorney General focusing on domestic violence.

Her strong desire to empower young people to overcome obstacles and challenges put her on the path to get involved and pursue a career in the social services sector. Juanita Nathan currently works with YOUTHLINK and Family Services of York Region. Her volunteer involvement includes serving on the board for Canadian Mental Health Association-York and South Simcoe, York Region Equity Council, and recently with the Canadian Tamil Congress.

Courtesy: PR
Published on: Oct 18, 2013 12:57:49 GMT

A Daughter Of Sri Lankan Tamil To Contest For Labour Party In Harrow East

October 18, 2013 

A daughter of Sri Lankan Tamil Uma Kumaran is contesting to be the Labour Party’s Member of Parliament for the London Borough of Harrow.

Kumaran was born in London and raised in Harrow, but says she comes from a strong and closely knit family from Sri Lanka.

“My parents fled to Britain in the midst of a civil war, Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn worked tirelessly to help them settle here. They have since worked hard to rebuild their lives and raise a family in Harrow,” the Labour candidate says on her official website.

Kumaran says her late Grandfather was one of the first civil servants to break ranks and join the front of the trade union picket line defending workers’ rights. “It’s these values that I was brought up on,” she says.

“The community in Harrow has given me, my family and so many others everything – I’m determined to stand up for thousands of people like us against this Tory government. It’s a wonderful place to live, the most diverse borough in the country and a model for all the great things multicultural Britain can achieve,” Kumaran says.

She obtains a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Politics and a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Policy both from Queen Mary University of London and speaks Tamil, Sinhala, English, French and German languages.