The State Government has pressed the go button on Australia's largest road infrastructure project to cut congestion and fix one of Brisbane's most notorious bottlenecks. Today Premier Anna Bligh and Deputy Premier Paul Lucas announced BrisConnections as the preferred bidder to build Airport Link, the next section of the Northern Busway and a new fly-over road to fix the gridlocked airport roundabout.Airport Link - which is the most complex road and tunnel engineering feat in Queensland's history will cost over $3.4 billion to build - but a landmark finance deal means it will cost tax payers just $47 million.

By Satheesan Kumaaran
South Indian political activists have accelerated their campaign to expel the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission (SLDHC) office from Chennai on the charge that the office is spreading incorrect and distorted information about Eelam Tamils in Tamil Nadu (TN).  The question arises whether the Sri Lankan government will take it seriously or allow the Indian activists to continue their pressure until the mission is finally expelled from TN. By all means the SLDHC is a resourceful office for the Sri Lankan intelligence as it covertly collects information about those on Indian soil who purportedly work against Sri Lankan sovereignty and undermine its territorial integrity.

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. Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan paid a surprise visit to the stall  on the 17th of May . All the proceeds, generated via the food stall go towards providing educational assistance for poor and needy children in North-East part of SriLanka, organisers said.

http://apiwenuwenapi.co.uk/ 
The Sri Lankan government has launched a fundraising drive amongst Sinhala expatriates in support of its military. The initiative was formally launched Tuesday at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London and is to be continued in other capitals with Sinhala Diaspora. Several businessmen came forward to contribute towards the UK target of GBP 100,000, press reports said. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in London, Mrs. Kshenuka Seniwiratne, bought the first ticket in a raffle for the project. 

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.