Memorial service was held for Rev. Father M X Karunaratnam, the chairman of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR), who was killed in a claymore mine attack carried out by the Sri Lanka Army on 20th April 2008.The service was organised by Elim Church and Consortium of Tamil Associations in New Zealand (COTANZ) on Saturday, 3rd May at Elim Church in Howick, Auckland.

"We pray for Fr Karunaratnam, the head of North East Secretariat on Human Rights. We are richer for his courageous work in maintaining a focus on the rights of the marginalised."
- Acting CEO, Jamie Isbister, Caritas Australia. 
"Caritas Sri Lanka is deeply saddened by the untimely demise of Fr. Karunaratnam. He was an example of courage and humanity and will be missed by all.” 
-  Fr Damian Fernando, Caritas Sri Lanka.

"Ten people who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."
Napoleon Bonaparte
The terms Tamil Diaspora, expatriates and lobby are being used by the analysts and media frequently.  This creates a perception that these terms are similar and is a matter of semantics. A lobby is “a group of persons who attempt to influence legislators or other public officials on behalf of some particular cause or interest” and lobbying means “to influence (legislators), or urge or procure the passage of” (Reference Macquarie dictionary.) The keyword in defining lobbyists and lobbying is influence”, which is defined as “power of producing effects by invisible or insensible means”.

6:30PM Saturday, 10 May 2008
Venue: Schonell Theatre, University of Queensland , St Lucia
 
For ticket reservations and payment details, please
call Selva on 32724720 or 0402 960 439 or
Ravi on 3371 0462

Tamils in New Zealand participated in ANCAZ parade and service

In the past few years the Brisbane Tamil Community has contributed to the Zillmere Multicultural Festival by having a ‘Indian Food’ stall and a display of educational assistances for the poor and needy children in the North-East part of SriLanka.This year the event falls on the 17th of May and to make it a success we expect your support and assistances. All proceeds go towards providing educational assistance for poor and needy children in North-East part of SriLanka.

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

IIGEP departs - a Requiem for Justice and Human Rights

The eleven-member International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) consisted of representatives from India, France, Indonesia, the United States, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Canada, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan, abandoned their efforts to assist the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Violations of Human Rights. They were convinced, after a year of strenuous effort, that they had been trapped in a futile exercise from the point of view of justice and human rights and that the only purpose they were expected to fulfill was to lend credibility to a sinister plot to deny justice. Having seen through the illusion it was only natural for them to have abandoned it.

"There is no defence for attacking a church which has saved hundreds of refugees from death," said Dr. John Dayal, National President of the All India Catholic Union (AICU) in a statement to media on Sunday. He also called upon the "International Community which has a stake in this cauldron of ethnic strife which poses its own threat to stability in the region, and thereby to global peace." He added that the working committee of the AICU, which was in a session in Goa, was "very deeply concerned," when it learnt the news of the Sri Lankan Army's shelling of the Madu Church and how for the first time in the history of the 400 year-old church, Virgin Mary became a refugee in her own land.

The Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre of Queensland
181 Burbong St Chapel Hill
Dear Devotees and Friends,
You are cordially invited to attend the first Picnic of Sri Ramakrishna's devotees of Qld.  This will be an informal get together of the devotees to have fun after a brief prayer. Traditional Indian games will be conducted separately for children and adults.

Multicultural Excellent Award has been recently awarded to eelam tamil community leader in melbourne and chair person for justice & freedom for ceylon tamils ( an organisation vigorously raise voice for Tamil Self determination in Sri Lanka and expose Sri Lankan State Terror ) Mr wicki  Wickiramasingham Ramalingam for his outstanding contribution to Victoria's tamil communities. The award was presented by professor David de Kretser,Ac ,Governor of Victoria,attracted more than 600 members of Victoria Multicultural community leaders, Victoria premier Hon John Brumby and cabinet ministers attended.

It is with utmost urgency that concerned Tamils in Queensland, kindly request your participation in the above forum to discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation and human rights violations of Tamil people in Sri Lanka and to pay tribute to the slain Tamil Parliamentarians.
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Date:             6:30pm, Saturday, 12th April 2008
Venue:          Jamboree Heights State School, Jamboree Heights
For further information and registration, please contact  the organisers  on 0402 960 439, 07 3272 4720 or 07 3279 3696
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On March 6, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) member of parliament K. Sivanesan was killed by a claymore mine while driving through a village in northern Sri Lanka on his way home from a parliamentary sitting in Colombo. Sivanesan had voted against a further extension of the state of emergency currently in place. The remaining TNA MPs issued a statement accusing the Sri Lankan army of setting off the mine. It pointed out that two other TNA MPs had been murdered since 2005, along with two former MPs, a parliamentary candidate and several heads of local authorities.