Posts Tagged ‘News’
Happy New Year’s Day and Happy Birthday to Us!By Admin - December 31st, 2014 |
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Happy New Year’s Day and Happy Birthday to Us! Best wishes for 2015! On behalf of the Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance, we wish you much success and prosperity for the New Year. We’re also wishing our blog a Happy 5th Anniversary. We would like to thank all our readers for your continued support, encouragement and comments. A special thanks to all our writers who’ve brought us thoughtful, educational, and interesting stories, poetry and articles. We could not have grown so much without you. Your work has continuously been a pleasure to read for all youth, and has tremendously opened our minds and educated us all. CTYA’s Blog is a space for Tamil youth to share their ideas, opinions and comments with other Tamil youth. It’s a space youth to empower and educate other youth through their own writings, and is a reputable platform for youth to share their work. Over the years, many diverse youth have contributed to the Blog, and have helped shaped the richness of the Blog. We look forward to bringing you another year of stories, poems, art, and articles, and invite you all to share and submit your work this year, questions or comments. Feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org. You feedback and contributions are always welcome. Happy New Year! |
A Tribute to the Victims of the Tsunami, 2004By Admin - December 26th, 2014 |
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Written By: Kiruthika Thusyanthan It started off as any usual morning would, post christmas There was never fear of the shorelines But on this day, the waters moved differently the waters did return, it sure did The wave swallowed them whole humans wrong the waters Nobody to point fingers at, and nobody to blame In remembering my love lies RIP to all the families, stories, and memories that existed before Tsunami 2004 |
Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance Annual General Meeting [Recap]By Admin - December 18th, 2014 |
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On Sunday December 7th, 2014, Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA) held its fifth Annual General Meeting. The meeting was initiated with a moment of silence, followed by elections for Council directors and Executives. Each nominee presented a speech to articulate why they should be elected for the position they were running for. The Chief Returning Officer supervised the election process. The events that took place during 2013-2014 by CTYA were reviewed, and the accomplishments for each of the five councils were then presented and discussed. Following that, upcoming events for this year were also looked at. CTYA’s vision is to empower Canadian Tamil Youth to become outstanding leaders and citizens in our society. With much accomplishments and experience already under its belt, CTYA is on its way to greater success. Newly Elected Council Directors for 2015: Arts and Culture Council Apeeram Balasingam Nevetha Yogarajah Athletics Council Kishon Jivarajah Education and Career Development Council Arrenan Ratnaveluppillai Vice President- Finance Thivya Shanthakumar Vice President- Membership Ramesh Kanagalingam Vice President-Events Cajaani Velautham Vice President- Communications Senthoori Sivagurunathan President Chenthuran Ganesharajah |
Lest We ForgetBy Admin - November 8th, 2014 |
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Every year on November 11, Canadians honour the men and women who have served, and fought for Canada in the First World War (1914-1918), the Second World War (1939-1945), and the Korean War (1950-1953), as well as those who have served since then. More than 1,500,000 Canadians have served, and more than 100,000 have died. They gave their lives and their futures so that we may live in peace. Today, take a moment and thank the Canadians who have given up their lives for your freedom. Like the Kaarthikai Poo, the poppy is worn as a symbol of remembrance throughout the month as a reminder of the sacrifice of the veterans. The idea of using the poppy as a means to support wounded veterans was an idea brought on by a French woman, Madame E. Guérin, who suggested the idea to British Field-Marshall Earl Haig. The first of these poppies were distributed in Canada in November of 1921, and the tradition has continued in Canada ever since. All of us, growing up would have heard the heartfelt poem written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps: In Flanders Fields the poppies blow The Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance encourages all its youth to take part in remembering and honouring the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers by wearing a poppy and taking part in the two minutes of silence on the 11th day, of the 11th month, of the 11th hour. “Heroism is latent in every human soul – However humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials – privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life-” Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain References: Veterans Affairs Canada (http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/ |
Call Out for CTYA Board of DirectorsBy Admin - October 24th, 2014 |
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Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA) is seeking dynamic individuals who are responsible, enthusiastic and creative to join our Board of Directors. We are seeking for candidates that can utilize their experience, skills, and passion to empower youth to provide new innovative ideas and enhance the delivery of our services. CTYA will be holding elections for Board of Directors at our next Annual General Meeting that will be held on December 7th 2014. The following positions are available for nomination: Executive Committee: General Council: General Council Values: http://www.CTYA.org/english/councils.html Basic Responsibilities: Basic Qualifications Please contact us at elections@ctya.org for nomination packages. All nominations must be submitted through e-mail by Saturday November 22nd, 2014. Email: elections@ctya.org |
ConIFA World Football Cup Match ScheduleBy Admin - June 1st, 2014 |
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Check out the full ConIFA World Football Cup Match Schedule! |
Live Streaming of Tamileelam F.A.’s games at ConIFA World Football Cup 2014By Admin - June 1st, 2014 |
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First game for Tamileelam F.A. against Arameans Suryoye FA is tomorrow, Monday June 2nd at 4:00 a.m (ET) and Kurdistan FA on Tuesday June 3rd at 4:00 a.m (ET). Tune into www.tamileelamfa.org for live streaming of #Tamileelam FA games! #tefa #GoalPodu |
Our World Realities Differ : Remembering May 2009By Admin - May 18th, 2014 |
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Written By: Mathusan Mahalingam Do a simple Google image search for ‘May’. What comes up? Beautiful flowers and symbols that all point to a month of happiness. Now search ‘May Massacre Tamils.’ See what comes up. This is why the reality of the month of May differs for Tamils. May no longer is a happy month, a month of happiness and flowers, but rather it a month of mourning, loss and sadness. What is May Massacre? Today marks the 5th year remembrance of May Massacre. 5 years ago during this time, the Sri-Lankan government engaged in a heightened program of genocide marked by murder, abductions, rape and denial of food and medicine to Tamils in Mullivaykal. This was a systematic program aimed at the physical destabilization and elimination of Tamils through murder and rape. Murdering able bodied men and boys is a way to prevent a community from fighting against genocide – it destabilizes the physical threat of a community to protect its rights, and that is why during May 2009, men were the primary targets when it came to killing. If you followed closely, men were targeted and ‘shipped’ off to different camps than women during May 2009, and this was a way of easily separating them and eliminating them. Women have been targeted in genocide in another way; the destruction and degradation of their bodies have been used as an instrument of genocide. Sri-Lanka used the rape of Tamil women as a tool of genocide. In many cultures, like the Tamil culture, women are the ones who bear the honor of their societies. Targeting their honor, and defiling a women’s body is a way in which perpetrators of genocide can terrorize a community. Raping women produces three outcomes perpetrators hope will happen. Firstly, it undermines the ability for the biological reproduction of a targeted group. If the perpetrators are of a different ethnicity, race, or tribe, then by raping the women of the targeted community, the biological reproduction of the targeted population is stilled. READ MORE INSIDE |
News Release: 5th Anniversary of May MassacreBy Admin - May 18th, 2014 |
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Human Rights and Advocacy Council (HRAC), Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance (CTYA) May 2009 marks the height of the genocidal onslaught against the Eelam Tamils by the Sri-Lankan Government. During this time, the Sri-Lankan Government engaged in widespread killing, shelling of Tamil civilians in Government declared “safe zones”, sexual abuse, and deliberate denial of food and medicine to Tamil civilians. According to Bishop Rayappu Joseph, records show that the existence and whereabouts of 146,679 Tamils have not been accounted for from the end of May 2009. Since 2009, there has been evidence mounting, including video footages, photos, satellite images, war witnesses, and findings of unexploded cluster bombs that prove that war crimes, crimes against humanity and the height of the genocide were carried out in 2009. Global organizations are currently working towards collecting these evidences and proving these allegations in a way that will make Sri-Lanka culpable for its crimes. Today, Tamils in the North-East continue to face rape, disappearances, coercive population control, destruction of cultural and historic monuments, and disenfranchisement of land. Without a permanent solution, Tamils in Sri-Lanka continue to face cultural genocide on many levels. May marks a month that we as a community take the time to remember the victims massacred and heal together as a community. The HRAC joins with our members, friends, and families in commemorating the victims of May Massacre. We remember our relatives, friends, and brethren that were killed. As we remember the victims together as a community here in Toronto, Tamils in our homeland, many of them survivors or families of the survivors of May Massacre have been prohibited by the Sri-Lankan Government to hold any public commemorations for those who perished during May Massacre. The HRAC will continue to voice against the genocide of Tamils by collecting evidences from the witnesses and survivors through the Thazhumbakam project. Thazhumbakam, A Tamil Genocide Memorial Museum aims to broaden public understanding of the history of the Tamil Genocide through comprehensive programs: art and artifact exhibitions, research and publication, collecting materials, distribution of educational materials and resources, and a variety of other public programming designed to enhance understanding of the Tamil Genocide. The need for Thazumbakam to safeguard the history of Tamils and work towards collocating evidence pointing to genocide is imperative. The HRAC further calls upon the Tamil youth in Canada to continue to raise awareness about the genocide of Eelam Tamils and participate in Thazumbakam by hosting events and exhibitions to enhance public awareness of the Tamil Genocide. |
A Statement from Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin TrudeauBy Admin - May 17th, 2014 |
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For Immediate Release May 18, 2014 Statement by Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau on the Anniversary of the End of the Sri Lankan Civil War OTTAWA – The Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement in recognition of the fifth anniversary of the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War on May 18, 2009: “Today, on the anniversary of the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, we remember and honour the lives that were lost during more than two and a half decades of terrible conflict. “While the war may have ended five years ago, we must acknowledge that peace in the region has not yet been settled; there is still much work to be done. “The Liberal Party of Canada has long called for an international, independent investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Sri Lankan Civil War. The recent decision of the UN Human Rights Council to conduct an independent and international inquiry into these alleged human rights abuses is a positive starting point. We sincerely hope that the Sri Lankan government will cooperate with the investigation. “I have spent time with the Tamil-Canadians across the country on many occasions, and I remain committed to achieving accountability and justice for the many who have suffered the awful consequences of this protracted war. We must be vigilant in working with the international community to pursue true and lasting peace in the region. “Canada is a multicultural country, rich in both diversity and compassion. As a society, we all stand with our Tamil-Canadian brothers and sisters as they solemnly recognize this anniversary. Today we reiterate our commitment to fighting the abuse of human rights around the world, both in times of war and in times of peace.” -30- Contact: Press Office Office of the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada 613-947-5100 |