Marie Colvin, a Sunday Times journalist, and French photographer Remi Ochlik have been killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs after the house where they were staying was shelled, today, Feb 22, 2012.
Marie Colvin, recognized as Best Foreign Correspondent in many Press Awards, was wounded in the eye when she was fired upon in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka in April 2001.
Continue reading ‘Marie Colvin, wounded while working in Sri Lanka in 2001 dies in Syria’ »
President Rajapaksa and TNA Leader R. Sampanthan- in December 2011
Direct discussions beween Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Tamil National Alliance(TNA) leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan to revive stalled talks between the ruling regime and the TNA ended in failure.
A one to one meeting without aides held at “Temple Trees” on Tuesday February 21st between the President and the senior TNA Trincomalee district MP aimed at breaking the current impasse ended inconclusively without any tangibe result. [Click here to read in full ~ dbsjeyaraj.com: Direct discussions between President Rajapaksa and TNA leader Sampanthan to revive talks end in failure]
by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai
“Becoming” is the theme for the second edition of the Colombo Art Biennale is held from 15th February 2012 to 19th February 2012 at Park Street Mews, J.D.A. Perera Gallery and National Art Gallery.
Mental and Physical My Childhood Memories II by Varatharajan Balamurugan from Jaffna
Colombo Art Biennale includes paintings, installations, photos, performance, audio and video presentations. Many art talks also held during the five day festival of art.
Continue reading ‘In Pictures: ‘Becoming’ ~ Second edition of the Colombo Art Biennale’ »
Sri Lankan situation places a huge dilemma on Indian foreign policy. India has traditionally opposed single country resolutions, more so in the case of close allies such as Sri Lanka. But the choice of “no” against Sri Lanka will not be automatic.
by R. K. Radhakrishnan
An unusually strong contingent of Sri Lankan diplomats and officials has begun descending on Geneva to defend the country against likely onslaught when the session opens on February 27.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka might get more time at UNHRC with series of riders’ »
Ron Ridenour
By Ron Ridenour
Hello Friends
The forthcoming 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council(UNHCR) from February 23rd to Marh 23rd 2012 is of vital importance to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government. Anticipating an adverse resolution against it the Govt has embarked on a vigorous campaign aimed at thwarting such a move. A heavy weight delegation of 52 persons is scheduled to be in Geneva to battle on behalf of President and Government. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: 'So far' Sri Lanka is not on the agenda at UNHRC 19th sessions in Geneva]
Deirdre McConnell (file pic)
Hello Friends
On 18th February 2012, a conference organised by the Centre for War Victims and Human Rights (CWVHR) took place in Toronto, Canada. It was attended by 400 participants. The conference title was: ”International Protection of Human Rights in the 21st Century and its challenges – Case Study on Sri Lanka”.
Papers were presented by professionals, lawyers and intellectuals, followed by questions to the panel and discussion. Five Canadian Members of Parliament, from three political parties participated in the conference. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: 21st Century UN Human Rights Mechanisms and the Tamils in Sri Lanka/Ceylon]
By S. L. Gunasekara
The country was agog with the news that after the visit of two American bureaucrats named Otero and Blake, [both from the State Department], they had announced that the United States would support the anti-Sri Lanka resolution bought by some western countries in the Human Rights Council.
Continue reading ‘Creeping Western Imperialism is not confined to Sri Lanka alone’ »
A member of the United National Party (UNP) throws back tear gas fired by the riot police during a clash in Colombo February 17, 2012. The protest was organised by the UNP, who are opposed to the new price of oil-pic courtesy of : Reuters
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s speech to the nation on Independence Day provided an indication of his two major concerns for the future.
One concern was the persistent international pressure on his government on human rights issues during and after the end of the war.
Continue reading ‘Persistent international pressure over human rights and de-stabilisation efforts through mass agitation are two major concerns for President Rajapaksa’ »
by Chanakyan
For successive inept governments of Sri Lanka, no opportunity was more welcome than the two insurgencies and the ethnic war.
President Rajapaksa on 64th Independence Day Celebrations, 2012-pic: Northern Provincial Council
They produced the occasion, the justification and the means of engagement when avenues of productive employment could not be adequately created.
Continue reading ‘Why not reduce the military by half and go in for a duty free economy benefiting entire population?’ »
By Hamish McDonald
In May 2009, hell was a strip of sand on the north-east coast of Sri Lanka where a surrounding government army was raining shells, bullets and bombs on a cut-off rebel army, the Tamil Tigers, and thousands of trapped civilians.
As the end came near, three Tiger leaders tried to save themselves and their families, arranging a surrender in mobile phone calls and text messages involving the government’s foreign secretary in the capital Colombo, Norwegian diplomats, a British journalist and others.
Continue reading ‘Washington has intelligence excerpts of Gotabaya Rajapaksa allegedly ordering the gunning down of surrendered LTTE cadres’ »
BY Karu Jayasuriya, M.P.
The government has stated that they do not suppress peaceful demonstrations.
2011 June 02 at Katunayake FTZ-pic courtesy of: VikalpaSL
However this statement was made after suppressing the demonstration held during last week by unarmed masses and political parties demanding the government to reduce the price of fuel and the cost of living. This repression was made by using water cannons, tear gas and anti riot squads and live ammunition.
Continue reading ‘Govt must stop this ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ policy adopted towards peaceful protests against it’ »
“Smaller counties are being penalized by imposing the sanctions, big countries, should realize this”, said Susil Premjayanth, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Petroleum Industries in an AlJazeera Newscast on February 19th.
Sri Lanka, which relies heavily on imports of Iranian oil, is feeling the impact of US-led sanctions on Tehran.
Continue reading ‘AlJazeera Video: Sri Lanka faces double whammy from tougher sanctions against Iran’ »
By Imaad Majeed
Since the end of the conflict in 2009, a new phenomena has emerged. That of Buddha statues being erected along the A9 route that leads to Jaffna.
Keerimalai, a few kilometres to Dambakola Patuna, Kanagarayan kulam Buddhist stupa, Buddhist Statue built on a site, supposedly, visited by the Buddha, Buddha Statue IN Killinochchi and Buddhist Temple in Kanakarayan Kulam area on the site of a destroyed Hindu temple.
Over 28 Buddha statues have been counted along this route since the war concluded in May 2009. The comedy of this charade (what else can one call it?) is that these statues are placed in areas where little or no Buddhists reside.
Continue reading ‘28 Buddha statues erected along A-9 Highway since war ended in May 2009’ »
Prof. John Clifford Holt-pic by: bowdoin.edu
Response by Prof. John Clifford Holt to the review of The Sri Lanka Reader by Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere
In responding to Gananath Obeyesekere’s review of the Sri Lanka Reader, let me state out front that I have great respect for his studies of Sri Lankan culture and society.
I’ve learned a tremendous amount from reading his many works over the years, works that provided many leads for research that went into a number of my own books.
Continue reading ‘‘I had tried to be as balanced and as representative as I possibly could when editing the Reader’ – Prof. Holt’ »
By M. S. Shah Jahan
The crude oil has reigned supreme for most of the last century. But the grim reality is that peak oil is already here. The term “peak oil” doesn’t mean that there isn’t any more oil in the world
Courtesy: The Globe and Mail
It simply means that we have reached the point at which global oil production tops out, then starts to decline. And thus, the basic law of supply and demand virtually guarantees that oil prices will continue to climb higher and higher.
Continue reading ‘Should not the world find a new source for energy needs?’ »
By Ranee Mohamed
Ramasamy Prabaharan with his three and a half year daughter and Shiromani Prabaharan-Pictures by Thusitha Kumara
Ramasamy Prabaharan (43), owner of three electronic shops at Majestic City spent that Saturday morning in Battaramulla where he was trying to get possession of a house he had given on rent.
Continue reading ‘Wife of Tamil Businessman abducted in Colombo by white van goons describes ordeal’ »
by Hasantha Wijenayake-courtesy: LakbimaNews
President Mahinda Rajapaksa urged people to tighten their belts during the war and they did. When three years after the Tigers were defeated Sri Lankans are still expected to scrimp, they want to know why.
Since fighting ended in 2009, the Central Bank and other government agencies have used thrilling statistics and grand rhetoric to describe the economic situation.
Continue reading ‘A body blow, but who lives it up?’ »
By Dr.Arujuna Sivananthan
Hello Friends
As I have stated earlier ,there are many who feel that Sri Lanka is undergoing a severe economic crisis although Government propagandists do not seem to agree.Despite harsh economic realities there prevails an optimistic outlook in the Colombo corridors of power.
In recent times I have been posting in both my blog as well as website some analytical articles on the economy written by Dr.Arujuna Sivananthan who lives in Britain and is of Sri Lankan origin [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Downgrade and Foreign Exchange Controls in Sri Lanka : A Probability or an Inevitable Certainty?]
Satellite image showing the location of Kachchativu -Image courtesy: NASA, Visible Earth, Legend by TamilNet
The Times of India (TOI) reported that the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu Government (TNG) had reiterated the state’s stand on the retrieval of Kachchativu from Sri Lanka, and restoring traditional fishing rights of Indian fishermen, arguing that if not retrieved Tamil Nadu fishermen will have to stop fishing and starve.
Continue reading ‘Tamil Nadu claim of Kachchativu ownership is not valid’ »
by Shamindra Ferdinando
Those responsible for ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ will telecast another documentary in the first week of March to coincide with United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva.
UK based Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow, who had presented ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ is also involved in the second project.
Continue reading ‘Another documentary on Sri Lanka like “The Killing Fields” to be released in first week of March’ »
by Chandani Kirinde
With just a week to go for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva, the Government will review charges of wrongdoing levelled by witnesses before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
Attorney General Eva Wanasundera told the Sunday Times that Police had begun recording statements from persons who gave evidence. This is to gather information which could be examined by officials in the AG’s Department, she said.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka to Distribute Copies National Action Plan for Human Rights Protection at UN in Geneva’ »
Sarana Gunawardena MP
Deputy Minister of Petroleum Resources Sarana Gunawardena says a 20% bus fare increase is too much on general public and adds that an increase of around 10% is reasonable. In an interview with The Nation, Deputy Minister Gunawardena said the government had been studying the price of oil in the world market for several years before increasing the prices. He denied any corruption inside the CPC and said even after the increase, CPC was not getting any profit
Following are excerpts:
Continue reading ‘Govt studied world market for years before increasing fuel prices – Petroleum Resources Deputy Minister’ »
By Kishali Pinto Jayawardene
Does the Government of Sri Lanka need a ‘roadmap’ to implement the existing law in Sri Lanka?
Military blocking the protesting fishermen on the Colombo-Chilaw highway-pic courtesy: WSWS.org
From where does this curious logic arise?
These are two fundamental questions that should be directed towards the Presidency downwards.
Continue reading ‘Is “Shoot to Kill” at demonstrations an Official Directive from Defence Ministry?’ »
by Sriyan Obeyesekere
A pall of gloom hung over Chilaw since last Wednesday with the shooting of a 27-year-old fisherman as the protest of some 30,000 fisher folk over the price hike of petrol exacerbated in the loss of human life.
The death of the fisherman from alleged Police STF gunfire around 11 a.m. last Wednesday following a confrontation left an entire local community in mourning as this sleepy town erupted leading to a curfew being slapped down.
Continue reading ‘Chilaw After a Demonstrating Fisherman was Shot to Death’ »
by Frederica Jansz
What happened to dozens of LTTE members who surrendered to the army together with Rev. Francis Joseph, a Catholic priest, south of the Vadduvaakal bridge on May 18 2009?
Screengrab of a video obtained by Human Rights Watch shows LTTE leader Colonel Ramesh in Sri Lankan army custody-courtesy: HRW.org
“Aananthi” (not her real name), the wife of one of the disappeared, told Human Rights Watch that she saw the army load the priest and the LTTE members on to a bus and drive them away.
Continue reading ‘‘What happened to dozens of LTTE members who surrendered to the Army at Vadduvaakal on May 18th 2009′?’ »
By Tisaranee Gunasekara
“It is not the politicians who are suffering, it’s the people”.
A Greek demonstrator (The Guardian –13.2.2012)
Braggarts end, with egg on their faces and blood on their hands.
Lawyers protest against white van abductions-pic by VikalpaSL
Last week, at a press conference in Colombo, US Under-Secretary of State Maria Otero announced Washington’s decision to support a resolution on Sri Lanka, at the February-March UN Human Rights Council sessions.
Continue reading ‘Deployment of war heroes against Sinhala demonstrators and strikers will intensify’ »
by Hasantha Wijenayake-courtesy: lakbimanews.lk
According to government media, President Mahinda said on the Independence Day “This is not a task confined to one individual or a party. Remember, the country would not benefit by trying to please selfish groups who receive foreign funds.
Similarly, solutions cannot be obtained by implementing the proposals of extremist groups of whatever persuasion.
Continue reading ‘LLRC Report Recommendations: Arangetram started; now you dance’ »
sketch by Hasantha Wijenayake - courtesy of: lakbima news.lk
Doesn’t anyone read public opinion polls anymore? Don’t they make news anymore? I’m not referring to opinion polls run or commissioned by the government – any government- or its affiliates, but opinion polls in reputed non-state publications, especially those on vital topics.
Surely no topic could be more topical than the international moves being made on Sri Lanka, the pressures being brought to bear and the choices that may need making. It is not there isn’t much debate on this matter in the local media – indeed there is.
Continue reading ‘This is not about Sinhala -Buddhist nationalism or chauvinism but about Sri Lankan patriotism’ »
by Tisaranee Gunasekera
“There is a cracking point where a society collapses…” Bruce Springsteen (The Guardian – 17.2.2012)
In Chilaw-pic by: VikalpaSL
The Rajapaksas are on the offensive, again. But this time their battleground is not the Tamil-majority North but the Sinhala-majority South. Armed Forces have been deployed to quell peaceful demonstrations, in Colombo and elsewhere. In just one week, three protests were quelled with brute force and one unarmed demonstrator murdered.
The Humanitarian Operation is coming to the South.
Continue reading ‘Rajapaksa siblings turn their guns on the very Sinhalese who brought them to power’ »
by Kalana Senaratne
With the recent visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Mr. SM Krishna, the debate concerning the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka has been revived.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa meets Indian External Affairs Minister in Colombo, – 17-Jan, 2012-pic by: High Commission of India-Colombo
A useful contribution made in recent times which contains important suggestions regarding the full implementation of the 13th Amendment is that of a principled advocate of federalism, Asanga Welikala (Transcurrents, 11 Feb. 2012). Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka argues that the current deadlock can be broken by setting up an interim administration in the North (Transcurrents, 13 Feb. 2012).
Continue reading ‘Resolute advocacy of 13th Amendment appears to be both practical and useless’ »
by Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda
The report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation’ when taken as a whole is rather weak because of its inherent limitations, but some of the recommendations made in the report by the commission are quite positive and therefore can be used as a constructive tool to move in the right direction.
Continue reading ‘Does Govt Have The Political Will to Implement the LLRC Recommendations?’ »
The Fort and Pettah areas of Colombo city became a battlefield of sorts on Friday February 17th when Police cracked down on a mass demonstration of opposition parties led by the United National Party(UNP) protesting over issues like the recent steep rise in fuel prices, increasing cost of living and mismanagement of the country.
Sri Lankan policemen in riot gear fire tear gas at protestors-pic courtesy: AFP
Although the Army and Special Task Force (STF) were also called in to supplement Police efforts in controlling the demonstration it was the anti-riot squads of the Police that were primarily engaged in suppressing the protest. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Police use tear gas and water cannons to disperse UNP led protest in Colombo]
Karu Jayasuriya MP
The present government came into power promising to dawn a glorious future to the country and its people.
Instead of fulfilling the promise, the government has started to repress using iron bars and bullets, those people who agitate for the right to live and rise as humans.
Continue reading ‘Govt must stop shooting down the people’s right to live’ »
Sri Lanka today faces a range of challenges in ensuring a return to normality and a lasting peace, following the end of the twenty five year old war.
from Kaathaankudy in Batticaloa District at dusk ~ pic by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai
Significant progress has been made on a number of fronts, including the partial return of displaced persons, the provision of basic rehabilitation assistance for war-affected communities, the progressive restoration and upgrading of essential services, the holding of elections and the implementation of macro-development projects.
Continue reading ‘Statement on Reconciliation by Muslim Civil Society Individuals’ »
Several valuable recommendations are contained in the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’s (LLRC) Report and they are all the more compelling because they have issued from a Presidential Commission.
In pursuance of this, we the undersigned call upon the government of Sri Lanka, in consultation with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the leadership of the Muslims, to take steps to implement the recommendations.
Continue reading ‘LLRC Recommendations: Practical steps to meaningful reconciliation’ »
by Charitha Ratwatte
Hello Friends,
The “mutiny” in the Maldives and its aftermath is of vital concern and interest to Sri Lanka.The sequence of events in the “necklace of Islands” has serious implications for the “pearl of the Indian ocean”.
President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Meets U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Feb 11, 2012-pic: Anas Mohamed
It may not be an exaggeration to state that the Maldivian thespians currently hogging the limelight in the unfolding drama on the Archipelago stage are all mere pawns in the great geo-political chess game that is being played out on another level. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Sri Lanka and Maldives are mere pawns in the great game to dominate Southern sea routes]
By W.A. Wijewardena
Hello Friends
W.A. Wijewardena is a former deputy governor of Sri Lanka’s Central Bank. He now writes a regular column on economic matters for the “Financial Times”(daily) published in Colombo by Wijeya newspapers.
In a welcome deviation from his usual writings ,Wijewardena wrote an article recently on the rise of Cultural nationalism and about whether it was a boon or bane to society. He drew on the works of Amartya Sen and David Mclelland to substantiate his point of view in the article. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Cultural Nationalism to Society: Unlikely boon and unavoidable bane]
Faiszer Musthapha - Deputy minister of Technology and Research
Q: 13 Plus has become the most discussed topic in the political scene. What do you think about 13 Plus?
A: Before looking at the 13th Amendment or the 13 Plus, first let us give a chance to the present mechanism. I strongly believe the present mechanism can address the majority of our issues.
Continue reading ‘‘President Rajapaksa has achieved more for the Tamil community than any other community’ -Faiszer Musthapha’ »
38 year old Warnakulasooriya Anthony Fernand, a father of two children, was killed and eight others critically injured in Chilaw on February 15th when Security personnel opened fire on fisherfolk stridently protesting the sharp rise in fuel prices announced by the Government of President Rajapaksa.
The gunfire was preceded by the widespread use of tear gas to disperse large crowds of affected fisherfolk comprising men, women and children demonstrating against the fuel price increase.
60 years of The Queen’s reign
The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953.
‘Your Majesty has given admirable leadership both to your country and the Commonwealth’ – President Rajapaksa
Full text of the message:
Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa sends felicitation message to Queen on the occasion of Diamond Jubilee’ »
Women from nine villages and housing schemes in Mannar are perturbed over plans to set up a new Army camp in Tharavankottai.
Representatives of Women’s rural development societies from the nine concerned villages met recently and drafted a petition in Tamil protesting the allocation of land along Tharavanlottai road for the purpose of constructiong a new Army camp. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Women in Mannar perturbed over setting up of new Army camp in Tharavankottai]
Ayesha Zuhair Interviews Both Contenders
Approximately 11,000 members of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), the country’s premier organisation of lawyers, will vote to elect its President and Secretary on Wednesday 22 February 2012. Ayesha Zuhair of the Daily Mirror spoke to the main contenders for the BASL Presidency to discuss their reasons for contesting and some of the key issues that have surfaced in the run-up to the hotly contested election. Excerpts of the interviews:
Continue reading ‘Wijeyadasa Rajapakse vs Tirantha Walaliyadde: Bar Association Presidency Elections’ »
“When Syria equals Sri Lanka: How the UN fails when Gov’ts kill their own: My interview with UN Human Rights’ Navi Pillai”, tweeted Jon Snow of Channel 4, UK on his twitter feed yesterday, highlighting a live interview that he had with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Dr. Navi Pillay on Feb 13th regarding the continuation of violence in Syria despite the calls to stop violence.
Jon Snow asked the High Commissioner of the purpose of these calls to stop violence, when similar calls were made during the time when allegedly 40,000 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka and “nothing has happened”:
Continue reading ‘Video: ‘How the UN fails when Gov’ts kill their own’’ »
AI URGENT ACTION
MAN ABDUCTED DAYS BEFORE COURT HEARING Ramasamy Prabaharan, a Tamil businessman who brought a case against Sri Lankan police for torture, unlawful arrest and detention was abducted on 11 February at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by armed men. He was due to appear in court on 13 February. There are fears for his safety.
Continue reading ‘Amnesty International Urgent Action: Man abducted days before court hearing’ »
The Sri Lankan army’s announcement that it had appointed a five-member court of inquiry to investigate allegations that its forces committed serious violations of the laws of war appears to be another government delaying tactic in the face of mounting international pressure, Human Rights Watch said today.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Army inquiry a delaying tactic intended to ward off international pressure – HRW’ »
Sri Lanka appeals for more time
By R. K. Radhakrishnan
Even as the United Nations Human Rights Commission session nears, Sri Lanka has appealed that it needs more time for the process of reconciliation to showcase the progress that it has made towards lasting peace.
At the end of a 30-year long bloody civil war, Sri Lankan forces trumped the Tamil Tigers, who have claimed Sri Lanka’s east and north as homelands. As Sri Lankan forces overran those of the Tigers, particularly between January and May 2009, it has been accused of colossal human rights violations.
Continue reading ‘‘UNHRC resolution focussing on Sri Lanka would not help the cause of rebuilding a united Sri Lanka’’ »
By R. K. Radhakrishnan
As the Sri Lankan rupee breached the 120 mark against the dollar with most dealers, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) sought to reassure people that this was nothing but a “temporary overshooting of realistic level.”
The country’s banks began selling dollars, in what appeared a roundabout way to stabilise the Sri Lankan currency.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan rupee in free fall after apex bank stops market intervention’ »
Hello Friends,
Sunila Abeyesekera is a well-known Sri Lankan human and womens rights activist. She is currently the Executive –Director of INFORM which is a Sri Lanka based Human rights documentation centre.
Sunila Abeyesekera - pic courtesy of: ottar.se
Sunila is also the recipient of two prestigious awards for her work as a Human rights campaigner from the United Nations as well as Human Rights Watch. [Click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Sunila Abeyesekera speaks about Sri Lankan situation]
Tui Selvaratnam-pic: Facebook-Arizona Women's Golf Association
One of the most accomplished women’s golfers Sri Lanka has ever produced, Thuhashini Selvaratnam, has achieved a feat that no other player in the Arizona Women’s Golf Association (AWGA) has ever attained in its history.
For the 11th consecutive year, Tui, as she is popularly known, has earned the title ‘Player of the Year’.
Continue reading ‘Thuhashini (TUI) Selvaratnam: Uncrowned Queen of Arizona Women’s Golf’ »
By Matthew Russell Lee,
Exclusive ~ Inner City Press
Dr. Abulkalam Abdul Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations-pic: UNICEF
UNITED NATIONS, February 13 — The Sri Lankan government’s first response to the more than two weeks of questions by Inner City Press about the appointment as a UN “Senior Adviser on Peacekeeping Operations” of General Shavendra Silva, whose Division 58 is repeatedly named in connection with war crimes in Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Panel of Experts report, was to sent a letter of complaint to Inner City Press.
Continue reading ‘Bangladesh, India and Pakistan want Sri Lanka to ‘fix’ the Shavendra Silva ‘problem’’ »
Dr. Palitha Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN
Reuters – trust.org/alertnet
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 14 Sri Lanka’s U.N. mission on Tuesday dismissed as “unfair and unethical” concerns raised by U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay about the appointment of a Sri Lankan army general to an advisory panel on peacekeeping.
Continue reading ‘Concerns raised by Navi Pillay about appointment of Shavendra Silva to peacekeeping panel ‘unethical’ – U.N. Mission, Sri Lanka’ »
Navi Pillay ,United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters- via ~ trust.org/alertnet) -
U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said on Monday that she has raised concerns in a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the appointment of a Sri Lankan army general to Ban’s senior advisory panel on peacekeeping.
Pillay’s worries relate to General Shavendra Silva, currently Sri Lanka’s deputy U.N. ambassador, who commanded the Sri Lankan army’s 58th Division during the final assault against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
Continue reading ‘Navi Pillay Writes “letter of concern” to Ban ki moon About Appointment of Shavendra Silva to Peacekeeping Advisory Panel’ »
by Jehan Perera
There are indications that the US Government will support a resolution at the forthcoming March session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that, among other things, will call on the Sri Lankan government to implement the recommendations of its Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Continue reading ‘US supported Resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN and implementing recommendations in LLRC Report’ »
Douglas Devananda
Hello Friends,
The role and conduct of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) described once as “half democrats” by its leader Douglas Devananda came in for intense scrutiny by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
The LLRC report strongly recommended action by the Government against the EPDP and other groups of a similiar nature operating in Sri Lanka [Click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Temerity of EPDP leader before LLRC was due to armour of immunity given by years of impunity]
by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka
If there is any point on which broad social and national consensus is obtainable it is precisely the flawed character of the CFA and its results. This criticism is not limited to Sinhala and Tamil hardliners.
Jaffna Central college swimming pool opening function, Feb 6, 2012
A serious scholarly study by the Norwegians has produced a Western liberal critique.
Continue reading ‘Set up an interim administration for North comprising non-anti LTTE moderate Tamils under a distinguished Tamil Governor’ »
Under Secretary Otero
Transcript of Press Conference by Under Secretary Maria Otero and Assistant Secretary Robert O. Blake, Jr. in Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka | February 13, 2012
Under Secretary Otero: Thank you. Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here in Colombo for the first time. I’ve had a series of productive meetings with the government of Sri Lanka, as well as civil society, political leaders, and journalists.
President Rajapaksa was kind enough to meet with me and explain his government’s vision to advance reconciliation among Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities since the end of the conflict. I also had fruitful meetings with the Minister of External Affairs and the Secretary of Defense, among others.
Continue reading ‘It is our sincere hope that the Government and people of Sri Lanka will seize this opportunity to build a lasting peace and prosperity-Under Secretary Otero’ »
Assistant Secretary
Transcript of Press Conference by Assistant Secretary Robert O. Blake, Jr. at the American Center in Malé
February 11, 2012
Assistant Secretary Blake: Thank you very much, Val. I have a short statement that I’ll read and then I’ll be glad to take questions.
First of all, let me just say how pleased I am to be back here in the Maldives. I’ve been a frequent visitor here since I’ve been Ambassador and I’ve had a very productive range of meetings today.
I had a chance to meet with President Waheed and with all of the key leaders of the main political parties. I also had a very constructive meeting with members of civil society.
Continue reading ‘Important to correct setbacks to hold free and fair elections and ensure the support of the Maldivian people-Assistant Secretary Blake’ »
An Analysis on recent court orders obtained by Police to restrain meetings & rallies
By JC Weliamuna
Basic Liberties cannot be taken away by any State Organ
Let me begin this article with the following often quoted words, worth reading and digesting.
“The law is not the private property of lawyers, nor is justice the exclusive province of judges and juries. In the final analysis, true justice is not a matter of courts and law books, but of a commitment in each of us to liberty and mutual respect.” – (Jimmy Carter, Dallas-Times Herald, April 26, 1978).
Continue reading ‘Judicial Intervention to Control Lawful Rallies?’ »
The Australian Government has studied closely Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Report, and welcomes its recommendations for addressing the post-conflict situation.
It has also expressed concern however that the report fails to fully address alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Continue reading ‘Australia urges Sri Lanka to set clear, firm timeframes for implementation of LLRC recommendations’ »
A Congressional letter signed by 12 US Congressmen has been sent to President Barak Obama calling for building of strong bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the US.
It was initiated by Republican Congressman Jack Kingston from Georgia, who visited Sri Lanka last October with two other Congressmen. The letter was signed by six Republicans and six Democrats who are all senior Members of Congress.
Continue reading ‘12 Members of US Congress write to President Obama urging strong USA-Sri Lanka partnership’ »
by Karen Grigsby Bates NPR
On the eve of the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles Saturday, the conversation was all about Whitney Houston. The 48-year-old pop diva was discovered dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Saturday afternoon. The cause of her death was under investigation.
Whitney Houston mourned at New Jersey church of her youth
Houston died alone in the same hotel that was the venue for a party she had often entered in triumph: the annual pre-Grammy Awards bash given by her mentor, recording impresario Clive Davis.
Continue reading ‘Whitney Houston, A ‘Perfect Instrument,’ Dies’ »
carton by Hasantha Wijenayake-courtesy: lakbimaNews.lk
Sri Lanka is defined as a small open economy; it does not have the ability to alter world prices, interest rates or incomes. It is a price taker.
Any attempt to change this reality by policy makers will manifest itself in economic imbalances which shall prove costly. However, whether they have reconciled themselves to this is a moot point
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Engaged in High Stakes Game of “heads -up”Poker with Their Largest Trading Partners’ »
An anti-government protester throws back a teargas canister at police during clashes in the Maldives capital Male on February 8. AFP-courtesy: sundaytimes.lk
Ousted Maldivian President, Mohamed Nasheed and two of his Party‘s senior members had to hide inside a hardware shop in Male to escape a teargas and baton attack by policemen, before being detected and dragged out like common criminals along the streets of the city, an official who was injured in the incident and now receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo, said.
Moosa Manik (51), a Member of Parliament (MP) of the Maldives and Chairman of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of President Nasheed, recollected how they hid inside the hardware shop, as riot police charged the crowds who had taken to the streets in protest at the ousting of the President last Wednesday.
Continue reading ‘Maldivian President Nasheed’s MDM Party Chairman Relates What Happened in Male Melee From a Colombo Hospital Bed’ »
State Terror in the form of the dreaded “white van goon squad” struck again in Colombo on Saturday February 11th 2012 when a Tamil businessman of Indian origin was abducted near his residence on Canal Bank Row, Wellawatte in the presence of his Sinhala wife and daughter.
42 year old Ramasamy Prabakaran the owner of “Panama Traders” an electronics store cum showroom within the Majestic City Complex in Baqmbalapitiya was seized in broad daylight by armed goons at about 3.30 pm when he arrived home with his wife and daughter from a trip to Athurugiriya,Ratmalana. [Click here to read in full ~ ob dbsjeyaraj.com: Tamil businessman who filed FR case against police abducted at Wellawatte by armed group in white van]
By Tisaranee Gunasekara
“It is so depressing to think we suffer because we are fools”
Bertrand Russell – (Sceptical Essays)
The February-March session of the UN Human Rights Council will be a trying time for the Rajapaksas. A US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka is expected to come up in Geneva, if the regime fails to honour its own, repeated promises of justice and accountability.
Ambrose Bierce, in his Devil’s Dictionary, compares politicians to eels, a definition which seems tailor-made for the Rajapaksa. The Siblings usually respond to international pressure with a confounding mix of empty promises and sweeping denials.
Continue reading ‘Will Basil and Gotabaya Rajapaksa hang themselves for the treacherous crime of criticizing war heroes to US envoys?’ »
Cartoon by Hasantha Wijenayake-courtesy: LakbimaNews
Pro government trade union leaders claim that a certain group of people backed by International Non Government Organizations is conspiring against the country, when it is on the right track for development after 30 years of protracted war.
They say that these elements are acting with ulterior motives to reverse the achievements made by the country in the aftermath of the conflict.
Continue reading ‘Mahinda has to decide whether he wants to be a prisoner of Sinhala chauvinism or not’ »
By Leon Berenger with addl reporting from Deva Athiran
This is a sad lot of men, women and children, holed up inside a detention centre in the West African state of Togo, with no money and nowhere to go after they were duped and dumped with the familiar false promise of a passage to Canada.
This has been the plight of the group of Sri Lankans, mainly from the East for the past one month and some of them have contracted yellow fever that is fast spreading throughout that country and the region.
Continue reading ‘250 Sri Lankans who paid Rs 5 Lakh each to reach Canada Stranded in Togo’ »
The number of deaths, those injured and requiring assistance in the government’s war with Tiger guerrillas remains yet to be properly counted, the United National Party (UNP) said on Friday.
It has accused the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) of failing to “adequately inquire” into the reasons why the government failed to properly estimate the number of persons who would be confined to camps and trapped in no fire zones.
Continue reading ‘LLRC Report positives and negatives pinpointed by UNP in critique tabled by party in parliament’ »
Dr. Colvin R.de Silva
It is a given that one of the most important segments in any democratic society are the professionals. A professional, by virtue of his training, is able to shed his or her biases and dispassionately examine and come to a conclusion on any matter that he is required to give an opinion. Politicians by contrast are not trained in this manner and often respond to situations from their own political standpoint rather than from an objective or a national interest driven position.
While this is true of most politicians at most times, there are also notable individual exceptions as well as situational exceptions when politicians do take decisions from the perspective of general wellbeing, although they may be few and far between.
Continue reading ‘Have the Legal Professionals in Sri Lanka failed the people and the country?’ »
by Kishali Pinto Jayawardene
In the morass of confusion worse compounded that Sri Lanka currently finds itself in regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), it is important to reiterate and underscore certain valid truths.
64th Independence Day Celeberations
The nature of Sri Lanka’s accountability problem
As said previously in these column spaces, carrying out the LLRC’s recommendations must be the first basic step that the government should take in order to indicate its bona fides. The government may find its fundamentally undemocratic power structures in total disarray if these recommendations are implemented.
Continue reading ‘When the Executive President is Placed Effectively Above the Law it is Academic to talk of Devolution or Accountability’ »
by Asanga Welikala
There has been in recent weeks a revival of interest in the full implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment, as part of a broader on-going debate triggered by the publication of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) about future constitutional reforms addressing the need for devolution and democratisation.
cartoon by: Hasantha Wijenayake ~ courtesy: LakbimaNews
As implicitly acknowledged by the LLRC, the salutary need for a new post-war constitution, or substantial reforms to the existing one, is a matter of pivotal importance in moving Sri Lanka from its ‘post-war present’ to a truly ‘post-conflict future.’
Continue reading ‘The full implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment: What can be done?’ »
by Dayan Jayatilleka
As world class singers of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage go, MIA isn’t half as good as a new voice, Bhi Bhiman, an American singer of blues-tinged folk music with a voice as clear and mournful as the whistle of a lonesome train coming ’round the bend.
MIA’s flair for the theatrical far outstrips her singing talent.
Continue reading ‘M.A. Sumanthiran has raised the middle finger at 13th amendment and power sharing like M.I.A flipping the bird in the US’ »
Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka at UNHRC special session on Sri Lanka, in Geneva on May 26, 2009.-pic courtesy: Getty images
For months, Sri Lanka fought off calls for an international probe into war crimes allegations by marching its Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission down the catwalk.
Look, the government said firmly, let our domestic mechanism complete its work first. It was not something the world could dismiss. issues of war crimes and accountability will not go away’ »
Continue reading ‘
However adept the govt is in buying time
An Interview with Namini Wijedasa
From the moment she spoke out at her father’s funeral, it was evident that Hirunika, the 24-year-old daughter of assassinated SLFP stalwart Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, would take to politics. Last week Hirunika joined the Mahajana Party. In an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS, she said she would rather die telling the truth than lie to get privileges. Excerpts:
Question:
Why did you join the Mahajana Party?
Answer:
To do politics, you obviously have to join a party. I know it was a surprise to everyone. Nobody thought I would join the Mahajana Party because everyone said it is a small party but my political vision is something else. I don’t want to run after benefits or privileges. All I want is to do leftist politics because it’s in my blood. My father was a co-founder of the Mahajana Party with Vijaya Kumaratunga.
Continue reading ‘Slain Bharatha Lakshman’s daughter Hirunika Premachandra Speaks Out’ »
by Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.
It was good to hear the message of the President read out in all three languages, and the stress there, as well as in other messages read out, on reconciliation is most welcome
We have now emerged from several decades of great danger to the country, when we had to deal with terrorism of an extremely effective sort. That had to be destroyed, for the sake of all our people, in particular the Tamils of the North who had suffered so much repression, and I am happy that life is now back to normal in those areas and agriculture and commerce are flourishing.
Continue reading ‘Trilingualism will help promote better communication and understanding among our people’ »
by Stewart Bell
TORONTO • The refugee claims from the nearly 600 Sri Lankans who paid smugglers to ferry them to Canada are moving slowly and face dwindling odds of success, new statistics show.
More than two years after the Ocean Lady arrived off Vancouver Island carrying 76 Sri Lankan asylum seekers, only one has been accepted as a refugee so far, according to newly released Immigration and Refugee Board figures. Another has been ordered deported and the remaining claims are pending.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan refugee claimant acceptance rate by Canada drops from 91% in 2009 to 57% in 2011’ »
Outlook, BBC World Service
Sri Lanka’s indigenous inhabitants, known as Veddas are direct descendents of the country’s Neolithic community. Which they’ve been around since 18,000 BC.
Vedda on the chief’s veranda
Continue reading ‘BBC Pictorial & Audio: The life of Sri Lanka’s indigenous Vedda community’ »
50th Anniversary of Attempted 1962 Coup D’etat – 2
“Operation Holdfast” was the codename given by a group of conspirators to a plot devised to overthrow the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Government headed by the world’s first woman Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike through a bloodless coup d’etat in January 1962.
Sirima Bandaranaike
“Operation Holdfast” was not implemented as planned because the chief architects of the conspiracy called it off at the eleventh hour due to some details of the plan becoming known to the Govt a few hours before the envisaged H-hour.Incidently “holdfast” is the code signal for the Engineering corps within the army. [Click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: "Operation Holdfast": Contours of a Coup Conspiracy]
President Rajapaksa
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) are expected to consider a motion tabled by the United States over Sri Lankan accountability for war crimes later this month, nearly three years after the end of the island nation’s bloody civil war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a rebelsecessionist militia.
Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka, Britain and USA Must be Held Open For International Scrutiny into Alleged War Crimes’ »
THE ECONOMIST | from the print edition
THE president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, may well feel pleased with himself. On the face of it, more than six years after his first election, his prospects are still remarkably rosy.
In reverence: Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family members paying obeisance at Sai Baba temple in Shirdi on Sunday, February 5, 2012. Photo: PTI – courtesy: The Hindu
The economy clips along at about 7% a year. Mr Rajapaksa’s coalition controls over two-thirds of parliament, and opposition parties are so weak that a senior minister chuckles about not being held to account.
Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Widely Feared Vegetarian Strongman’ »
By Frances Harrison
THERE are signs that the international community is gearing up for action to hold Sri Lanka accountable for alleged war crimes committed by its forces at the end of the brutal civil war against the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.
A resolution is being prepared for next month’s session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva and Pakistan, where the Sri Lankan president begins a three-day visit today, should not stand in the way of justice for tens of thousands of minority Tamils who perished.
Continue reading ‘International community gearing up for action to hold Sri Lanka accountable for alleged war crimes’ »
New York, 9 February 2012 – Following another violent day in Syria, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy reiterated her call to the Syria authorities to stop the killing and maiming of children.
“Over the past months, the number of child victims in Syria has climbed into the hundreds and the rate is increasing,” SRSG Coomaraswamy said. “The situation is particularly harrowing in Homs where reports of the killing of children and shelling of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, are received daily.”
Continue reading ‘Radhika Coomaraswamy Asks Syria to immediately halt all violations against children’ »
by T. S. Subramanian
A short inscription engraved in the Brahmi characters has been discovered in the Edakal cave on the Ambukuthi hill in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
The estampage of the inscription - courtesy: The Hindu
This is the fifth Tamil-Brahmi inscription discovered in the caves.
Continue reading ‘Fifth Tamil-Brahmi Inscription Discovered in Edakal Caves of Wayanad District in Kerala’ »
by Sandeep Dikshit
Fearing for the personal liberty of the deposed Maldives President, Mohamed Nasheed, close aides said some of his Ministers had sought Indian military assistance when the “coup” was under way on Tuesday but none came.
“Some Cabinet Ministers told us that India had gunboats in the vicinity and would intervene,” Mr. Nasheed’s aides told The Hindu from an undisclosed location as they feared arrest.
Continue reading ‘India refused to intervene militarily in Maldives when requested by Nasheed’s ministers’ »
The family of former Maldivian President Mohammad Nasheed have sought refuge in Sri Lanka following the unrest in the Maldives.
Sources at Sri Lankan President’s Office told Xinhua on Thursday that Nasheed’s wife Laila Ali had spoken to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa over the telephone after arriving in the country.
Continue reading ‘Mahinda asks Waheed to safeguard Nasheed while ex-Maldivian president’s family seeks refuge in Sri Lanka’ »
by M.A. Sumanthiran MP
Hello Friends
The devolving of some Police Powers to the Provincial Councils is a Constitutional requirement that is yet to be implemented in practice. In recent times this important issue has been muddied further by President Rajapaksa’s pronouncements that Police powers will not be given to the Provincial councils.
Apart from being a violation of the Constitution this stance amounts to a dilution of devolution already granted to the councils through the 13th Constitutional amendment..Ironically such intentions amount to “13th Amendent minus” at a time when the President says he is prepared to consider “13th Amendment Plus”. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Constitution stipulates devolution of police powers to provincial councils]
WASHINGTON, D.C., FEB. 9, 2012—
Yesterday, the District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit filed by Tamil victims of the armed conflict in Sri Lanka against Shavendra Silva, a former Sri Lanka Army general, who is now Sri Lanka’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.
Continue reading ‘NY District Court Dismisses Law Suit Against Maj-Gen Shavendra Silva citing “Diplomatic Immunity”’ »
Hello Friends
There has been a regime change in the Paradisian archipelago of Maldives. Recent events leading to such a change in the Maldives Islands have evoked great interest and concern in the corridors of power in Colombo.
Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa meeting at 17th SAARC Summit at Addu in Maldives-Photo courtesy: www.seventeenthsaarcsummit.mv
Sri Lanka is the closest neighbour to the Maldives and there existed a strong personal equation between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Mohammed Nasheed. [click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Indo-Chinese tensions and the 'mutiny' causing regime change in Maldives]
by National Peace Council
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s pronouncement at the recent Independence Day celebration with reference to the LLRC report is an encouraging sign of commitment to addressing the issues arising out of the past decades of conflict and war.
The report was tabled in Parliament in December last year and has received much international attention.
Continue reading ‘National Anthem not sung in Tamil on Independence Day celebrations despite LLRC recommendation’ »
Leader of Janata party of India Dr. Subramanian Swamy has stated that he is anti-LTTE but pro-power devolution and political solution in Sri lanka. He disclosed this to DPF Leader Mano Ganesan.
The Indian political leader who is in Sri Lanka on a private visit met Mano Ganesan in Colombo yesterday for a discussion.
Continue reading ‘Subramanian Swamy tells Mano Ganesan that he opposes LTTE but supports Devolution for Sri Lanka’ »
by Jehan Perera
Addressing the nation and the international community on Independence Day President Mahinda Rajapaksa made many inspirational statements.
These could be regarded as statements of government policy that will charter the future course of the country. The President’s speech was also finely tuned to appeal to the nationalism of the masses of people and their sense of patriotism.
Continue reading ‘President Rajapaksa failed to utilise opportunity presented at Independence Day celebrations’ »
by Sivaramakrishnan Parameswaran -BBC News
The year ahead seems gloomy for almost half a million people in a small district in the southern part of India, as a result of last year’s Arab Spring.
Mango cultivators in the district of Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, are worried after last year’s political uprising in the Middle East and Northern Africa resulted in the $100m (£63m) mango pulp industry grinding to a halt.
Continue reading ‘Arab Spring Drastically Affects Mango Cultivators of Tamil Nadu’ »
The Leader of the TNA, Mr. R. Sampanthan together with TNA MP Mr. M.A. Sumanthiran, met with Mr. Stephen Rapp in an afternoon meeting in Colombo today, 7 December 2012.
Mr Rapp is the Ambassador at Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice at the US State Department, and is currently on a short visit to Sri Lanka. The TNA MPs discussed a number of matters relating to accountability in Sri Lanka with Mr. Rapp.
Continue reading ‘TNA Discusses Accountability in Sri Lanka with US Ambassador-at-Large Stephen Rapp’ »
Superbowl XLVI is over and the National Football League champions for 2011 are the New York Giants who beat New England Patriots 21 -17. The game played on Sunday February 5th 2012 at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis,Indiana was televised live by NBC.I was one of the estimated 110 million who watched it on TV.
Singer Madonna was expected to hog the limelight during the much looked forward to Superbowl half-time show.She did make a grand entrance being carried on a palanquin by gladiator –like bearer slaves. It was like a scene out of “Cleopatra” where Elizabeth Taylor playing the majestic Egyptian Queen entered Rome in similar fashion. With other singers also playing “subservient” cheerleader roles Madonna was projected as the Empress among songstresses. [Click here to read in full ~ on dbsjeyaraj.com: Madonna, M.I.A and the middle finger malfunction!]
by Indran Amirthanayagam
At this hour only the fool bird flies,
the rest ensconced in the shade
of branches and leaves, nestlings
pampered by females while
males guard against snakes
and monkeys, some stealthy cat.
Continue reading ‘Bird Food, Nandikadal’ »
On February 4th, 2012, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Paris celebrated the 64th Anniversary of Independence of Sri Lanka at UNESCO. Among the guests were ambassadors, diplomats, heads of institutions, representatives of the corporate sector as well as scholars and members of the clergy.
The reception followed a civic event in the morning for the Sri Lankan expatriate community in Paris which took place at the Embassy premises and included a multi-religio u s ceremony with the participation of the clergy of all four religions practiced in Sri Lanka.
Continue reading ‘The war is over. The peace is yet to be built–Amb Dayan Jayatilleke’ »
An Open Letter to Minister Keheliya Rambukwella
by Sunanda Deshapriya
Mr. Minister, I don’t know whether you have seen the film called ‘My name is Khan’. In it, the main character played by popular actor Shah Rukh Khan repeats the lines ‘My name is Khan.
I am not a terrorist’ at different points in the film, in order to affirm his innocence. I too am about to tell you a similar story. ‘My name is Sunanda. I am not a terrorist’ This is my theme.
Continue reading ‘My name is Sunanda Deshapriya and I am not a terrorist, Mr. Minister’ »
By J.C. Weliamuna
This is the question of the day. This is raised nationally and internationally and answers contrast for different reasons. In this article, I endeavor to briefly answer this question from a governance perspective, keeping in mind the present socio-political realities in Sri Lanka.
The President appointed the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliations (LLRC) on 15th May 2010 with a broad mandate to inquire into and report on specific matters, in terms of the Commissions of Inquiry Act.
Continue reading ‘Can GOSL Implement LLRC Recommendations?’ »
by R. Bhagwan Singh
Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has pleaded for a “fair assessment” of the development work and restoration of normal life in the northern region “within a short time of ending the 30-year war against terror” instead of summary branding of the government as rights-abuser.
“In these two-and-a-half years since winning the war, we have made great progress but, unfortunately, some people do not recognise that and harp on unnecessary issues, talk of sanctions (against Colo-mbo).
Continue reading ‘Gotabaya asks Tamils to shed Tamil Nationalism and grab post-war opportunities’ »
By R.K.Radhakrishnan
Amid Sri Lanka’s growing anxiety over possible disruption of Iranian oil imports due to United States-led sanctions against Iran, two important delegations from the U.S. and India visited the country this week, lent a sympathetic ear — and nothing more — to address the concerns.
The U.S. delegation led by its Assistant Treasury Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Luke Bronin, met the Sri Lankan Petroleum Secretary and others and, after listening to the Sri Lankan side, reportedly emphasised the need to curtail crude oil imports from Iran. When asked, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo declined comment on the visit.
Continue reading ‘Delegations from the U.S. and India visit Sri Lanka about oil’ »
