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Subject: World Tamil Conference in S Africa (fw)
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 08:57:26 +1100
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From: "Bala Pillai"
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http://in.news.yahoo.com/011212/43/1aqoi.html
Wednesday December 12, 1:27 PM
World Tamil conference in S. Africa
By Fakir Hassen, Indo-Asian News Service
Durban, Dec 12 (IANS) Tamils from around
the world have started pouring in for the
ninth International Tamil Conference to be
held here from Friday to Sunday.
Delegates from Australia, India, Sri Lanka,
Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Denmark,
Germany, France, England, Canada, the U.S.
and Mauritius will be delivering papers at the
conference, but the bulk of the papers will
come from the affiliate members of the South
African Tamil Federation (SATF).
The conference will address a range of
linguistic, religious, social and political issues affecting the Tamil
community.
The SATF is hosting the conference on behalf of the International
Movement for Tamil
Culture (IMTC), based in Canada.
"Our chief guest will be Pon Kothantheramen, Vice-Chancellor of the
University of
Madras," said SATF spokesman Naga Moodley. The Federation hopes that it
can
establish a distance education centre with the University of Madras so
that Tamils
anywhere in the world can get their qualification through this varsity.
"The University will monitor and facilitate such studies, which will be
open to everyone,
not just Tamil speakers," said Moodley.
The theme for the conference is "Tamils together progressively - now
and forever".
The conference will start with a symbolic procession from Addington
Beach here, which
is where the first Indians landed in South Africa after arriving by
boat to work in the
sugar cane plantations in 1860.
About half a million of the current population of 1.2 million South
African Indians
descended from those settlers are of Tamil origin.
"We will then unfurl a special series of flags at the convention centre
in central
Durban after traditional ceremonies such as the lighting of the lamps,"
Moodley said.
Special flags have been created for the IMTC and the SATF. A special
Tamil anthem
has also been written by the IMTC.
The official opening of the conference will take place on Saturday
morning, after which
resolutions taken at the last Conference in 1999 will be discussed.
Delegates from four South African provinces where the Tamil community
live will trace
their historical development and present proposals for future
involvement in various
sectors in the new democratic order in South Africa, including the
political arena.
International delegates will present papers on such themes as the
development of
Tamils outside Tamil Naidu, the disenfranchisement of Tamils in some
parts of the
world, the aspirations of women in the Tamil community, and the role of
Tamil youth
in the modern society.
Representatives from Sri Lanka will move a motion for recognition by
the United
Nations of the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, where ethnic conflict has been
raging for
decades now.
Moodley said the conference would cost the SATF about half a million
rands, and that
sponsors had come forward to help meet these costs. Buses will be
travelling from all
regions in South Africa to allow Tamil people to attend the conference.
At least 500
people are expected to attend.
"The SATF is extremely confident that the conference will be a
success," said SATF
president Mickey Chetty, who is largely credited with having turned
around the activities
of the national body for the Tamil community in South Africa into high
profile ones
over the past few years.
Bala Pillai
"Networking Minds in Halls Without Walls Since 1995"
Founder, The Asia Pacific Internet Company http://www.apic.net
Founder, Thamil Innaiyam http://www.tamil.net
Sydney, Australia
Thamil Innaiya Erumbugal
