“Sinhala Buddhist Guilt”: Giving the benefit of the doubt for ignorance

By Kusal Perera

My article, "Defining moments of living with the Sinhala Buddhist guilt" generated a heavy spurt of anger perhaps from the Sinhala Diaspora living in the comfort zone of the West, which does not surprise me. On 3rd July evening (SL time) when I logged into "transcurrents" site there were 37 comments and 17 of them stood for all that's happening in the North and said the government is right. [TC]

Recollections of St Thomas’ College, Gurutalawa: an extract from a personal memoir

by Charles P. Sarvan

If I remember correctly, in 1950 St Thomas’ College, Gurutalawa, had 214 pupils. Not only was it among the best of schools, it was also the most expensive boys’ boarding school in Ceylon. I was completely out of my financial and social class, the other boys being from wealthy families, parents who held well-paid jobs or had political position and power. [TC]

Non-Implementation of Tamil as an official language in provinces outside North and East

by Basil Fernando

In the present-day context, the re-imaging of a person from a conscientious citizen to a traitor can be rapid. The transformation is not in real terms as in Kafka's Metamorphosis. [TC]

Rajapakse Must Reach Out For Hearts And Minds Of Tamil Community

by Padraig Colman

Even those Sri Lankans, including Tamils, who were dubious about their government’s decision to pursue the military option against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), are relieved that the venture appears successful. [TC]

Is Central Bank the real “Bottleneck” Delaying  IMF Loan to Sri Lanka?

Further Statement of Group of concerned Tamils of Sri Lanka

The Group of Concerned Tamils of Sri Lanka is disturbed by persistent reports of continuing lack of adequate shelter, privacy, water, toilet and bathing facilities, nutrition, and medical services as well as other grave ills, notably disappearances in several of the detention centres. [TC]

Implementation of 13th Amendment is a Guarantee of our National Security

by Dayan Jayatilleka

There are two types of people who assert that President Mahinda Rajapakse is against the 13th amendment or does not intend to or will not implement it [TC]

Unlucky thirteen: make or break number in present politics of Sri Lanka

by Lucien Rajakarunanayake

I’m no believer in numerology, or the power that numbers can have on people, but it appears that 13 has suddenly emerged as the make or break number in the politics of Sri Lanka. [TC]

Sri Lanka held hostage by extremist forces for far too long

by Shanie

Sri Lanka has for far too long been held hostage by the extremist forces. These were the vocal elements on both sides of the ethnic divide who strangulated and silenced the moderates. [TC]

Hold Special School Examinations for IDPs to Restore Confidence

Full Text of Statement by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

The end of the war has brought with it the opportunity for a restoration of normalcy and reconciliation after 30 years of suffering and trauma. [TC]

Turning Tamil swords into Oriya ploughshares

by P. Sainath 

One is a member of the Malkangiri District Cricket Association and custodian of its cricket kit. Another, a minor contractor in a public works project. [TC]

Permalink TamilWeek: Digest of Week's Top News & Views

Defining moments of living with a Sinhala Buddhist 'guilt'

by Kusal Perera

"What is the procedure in sending relief stuff to the IDP camps ?" asked a friend one morning. "My daughter is helping some group to collect stuff for those people" he added. [TC]

I.D.P Camps in Manik Farm: An eye-witness account

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The conditions prevailing at the Internally displaced person (IDP)camps in Vavuniya and Chettykulam are far from satisfactory.

Many of those who serve or have served as volunteers in these camps are upset over the continuing humanitarian tragedy .

It is widely acknowledged that the authorities are making sincere efforts to improve conditions as far as possible. [dbsj]

‘Camp system is all too clearly the latest stage of genocide’

By Martin Shaw

What kind of violence has the Sri Lankan state been committing against its Tamil civilian population as the island‘s civil war ended; on what scale and with what intentions? Martin Shaw explores the difficult terrain where war, atrocity and genocide meet. [TC]

“Tamil people must be allowed to live in peace and flourish in their homeland.” – Elie Wiesel

The Following statement re: “Tamil People” was issued today by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity: [TC]

Sri Lanka’s Judiciary: Politicised Courts, Compromised Rights

By International Crisis Group

Sri Lanka’s judiciary is failing to protect constitutional and human rights. Rather than assuaging conflict, the courts have corroded the rule of law and worsened ethnic tensions. [TC]

A Two - Day Trip to the I.D.P. Camps in Vavuniya and Chettikulam

by Kath Noble

We are constantly told that restrictions on access to IDP camps prove that awful things are happening. If the situation were under control, this hypothesis goes, the Government would allow people to go and see for themselves. [TC]

Rains raise fears of malaria setback in camps

Reported by IRIN News

Health experts warn that the arrival of monsoon rains in July could increase the risk of waterborne diseases for tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps in northern Sri Lanka. [TC]

Around the World, Young Tamil Voices Not Quieted By War's End

By Veronica Zaragovia

Sri Lanka's 26 years of civil war effectively ended on May 19, 2009 with a single image. Televisions across the globe broadcast a government-issue photo of slain Tamil Tiger head, Velupillai Prabhakaran, lying on a muddy patch of ground with wide eyes and a fractured skull. [TC]

Human Rights Leadership Coalition writes President Obama Urging Action on Sri Lanka

Several prominent human rights organizations have expressed their deep concern over the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka in a joint letter to President Barack Obama: [TC]

The I.D.P. Experience: Do I know what it means?

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The troubles and travails faced by the displaced civilian population of the Northern mainland, Wanni is indeed a tragedy of our times.

I have in the past written extensively about the Wanni civilians who lived in tiger-controlled territory and described them as the wretched of the Wanni earth.

These people are now uprooted from their homes and compelled to live as “Internally Displaced Persons” in various camps described as welfare centers. [dbsj]

What does the future hold for Sri Lanka and all its citizens?

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

“Can the Tamils Seize a new opportunity” ? was the heading given by Ajith Ratnarajah to his well-written piece on the future of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Though lengthy the post evoked a lot of constructive discussion and debate on this blog. [dbsj]

Starting Point of Realistic Reform is Implementation of the 13th Amendment

by Dayan Jayatilleka

We have a once –in-generations chance to re-found Sri Lanka, to build Sri Lanka anew. To do so, we must be both hard and soft; and vigilant as hawks and as conciliatory as doves. [TC]

'Sustained double-digit economic growth needed by all in Sri Lanka'

Lanka Business Online, The web based business portal based in Colombo in an “Ideas” article published today is calling for bold moves to revitalize Sri Lanka’s economy, for the betterment of all.

And it has called to enact Sri Lanka’s North and the East as special economic zones: [TC]

'Normality in northern Sri Lanka is still a very long way away'

by Charles Haviland

It is just over a month since Asia's longest civil war in modern times came to an end, with the Sri Lankan government's declaration that it had finally defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) on the battlefield and killed nearly all their leaders.

Yet the army chief says he wants the army, already 200,000, to increase in size by 50%. [TC] 

Greenland's peaceful passage to independence

The following editorial appeared first in the Boston Globe:

"If it bleeds, it leads," goes the old motto of the news business.

If this rule explains coverage of local crime stories and traffic accidents, it's even more applicable to global conflicts with their origins in old colonial conquests.

Those sad legacies have included bloodbaths in Vietnam, Cambodia, East Timor, Sri Lanka, India-Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran-Iraq, Iraq-Kuwait, Israel-Palestine, Chechnya, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, and all too many more. [TC]

Tamils "very vulnerable" without political leadership

Permalink TamilWeek: Digest of Week's Top News & Views

Silent majority must raise their voices loudly and clearly

by Shannie

The tragedy of Sri Lanka has been the growth, since the mid fifties, of ethno-religious nationalism and the consequent destabilisation of our pluralist society. [TC]

Three potential sources of pluralist reform in post war Sri Lanka

By Dayan Jayatilleka

As Paul Berman once wrote, “somewhere in the world it is always 1941”. There comes a time in the life of every society when it is faced with an existential threat or challenge. [TC]

Sinhala and Tamil of people of Sri Lanka: Where do we go from here?

The head of the Anglican Church of Canada has urged the Canadian prime minister to lead international efforts to protect the civil liberties of Sri Lankans following a government victory over the rebel Tamil Tigers. [TC]

Sri Lanka arrests astrologer over political prediction

The authorities in Sri Lanka have arrested a popular astrologer who predicted that the president will be ejected from office, police say. [TC]

Not a pretty sight: the row over Sri Lanka's camp toilets

by Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

The war between the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka is over. The pursuit of an independent Tamil Eelam- an illusion- initially floated by the democratic political leadership of the Tamils, thereafter passionately pursued by various militant-terrorist groups, including the LTTE and finally carried forward in a highly organized, but fatally flawed manner by the LTTE, has proved to be just what it was- just an illusion! [TC]

Sri Lankan Media Groups Ask Government Not to Re-establish Powerful Media Council

By Anjana Pasricha

In Sri Lanka, media groups have asked the government to scrap moves to re-establish a media panel which could jail journalists. [TC]

Video: Michael Jackson, 50, Is Dead

Michael Jackson, the singer, songwriter and dancer who earned the title “King of Pop” in a career that reached unprecedented peaks of sales and attention, died Thursday at 1:07 p.m. Pacific time, a Los Angeles city official confirmed. [TC]

Setting up a Sinhala Buddhist Dictatorship Masquerading as Democracy

by Vasantha Raja

Sri Lanka’s present administration is a “dictatorship masquerading as democracy” observed Prof. John Neelsen from the Institute of Sociology in Tuebingen, Germany. [TC]

Why are displaced Wanni civilians being penalised like this?

It is now more than one month since the Sri Lankan military detained the final batch of Tamil refugees fleeing the northern war zone on May 19. They joined more than a quarter of a million civilians already incarcerated in camps set up near Vavuniya and on the Jaffna Peninsula during the last phase of the war. About 160,000 people are interned in four units in the biggest camp, known as Manik Farm. [TC]

Turn It Up - Tete-a-Tete:MIA

Maya Arulpragasam is an anomaly in many ways. As M.I.A., she has had a lightning-fast rise. From her early singles “Galang” and “Sun­showers,” which spread virally through the Web in 2004, to her 2005 debut album, Arular (named after her father), and 2007’s Kala (named after her mom), she has garnered nothing but critical acclaim. [TC]

UNSC must help undo some of the damage that its previous inaction helped foster-HRW

The United Nations Security Council should make sure that its existing commitments to protect civilians during armed conflict are actually carried out, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to council member states.

Even though there is no fighting in Sri Lanka's "no fire zone", HRW said: "There is still a need, however, for the council to urgently address the continuing humanitarian and human rights crisis and help undo some of the damage that its previous inaction helped foster. [TC]

"We do everything possible and suitable for Tamils living in Sri Lanka"- Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya

"We are concerned about the Tamils in living in Sri lanka. And not any other organization....and we do everything possible and suitable for Tamils living in Sri Lanka," but "not according to the people outside of Sri Lanka needs," said Sri Lanka's Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya. [TC]

Reconciliation and painful realities on ground

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

A harsh fact of life is the hiatus between rhetoric and reality.

One is starkly reminded of the chasm between promise and performance as we see current developments unfolding. [dbsj]

10th death Anniversary – June 22: Mervyn de Silva and the Lankan condition

by Dayan Jayatilleka

Father’s Day this year falls on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the death of my father, Mervyn de Silva, journalist and editor, literary critic and satirist, broadcaster and commentator on world affairs, or as Godfrey Gunatilleke put it in a sixth anniversary revaluation, “literary critic, intellectual, political analyst and media communicator all in one”.

Sri Lankan Refugees: Time to Honor their Courage, Restore their Rights

by Indira Ravindran

June 20th marks World Refugee Day, and this affords us an opportunity to remember the 80, 000 Sri Lankan Tamils who have sought refuge in Tamilnadu over the past quarter-century. [TC]

Water and sanitation in (post) conflict areas of N-East Sri Lanka

by Herald Vervoorn

Water and sanitation are vital for human health, generates economic benefits, helps the environment and contributes to dignity and social development. [TC]

Waiting for the command to Grieve: Controversy over the death announcement of Prabhakaran

By Naveen Kanapathipillai

Events that happened in the Vanni theatre of war in the middle of the month of May came as a shock for most of the Diaspora Tamils. [TC]

Sri Lanka Tamils' plight compared to Nazi Germany in London Protest

More than 20,000 pro-Tamil protesters swelled the streets of London around Parliament today, Jun 20th as campaigners compared the Tamils' plight in Sri Lanka to Nazi Germany. [TC]

Pro-Tiger diaspora in a post-Prabhakaran scenario

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

A noteworthy feature of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been the special manner in which it glorifies death and pays homage to dead tiger fighters.

Fallen LTTE members were eulogized as martyrs and referred to as “Maaveerar” or Great heroes.

The departed tigers were buried in cemeteries known as “Maaveerar Mayaanangal” (great hero cemeteries) and memorials called “Maaveerar Thuyilum Illangal” (sleeping abodes of great heroes) were constructed. [dbsj]

Permalink TamilWeek: Digest of Week's Top News & Views

The mood in Jaffna is that of being tragically marooned

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

A Christian clergyman who inspired many of us during our student days was the Anglican Bishop of Kurunegala Rt. Rev Lakshman Wickremasinghe.

This eminent theologian known popularly as Bishop Lakshman was a practical man of action when it came to the question of human rights violations and inter-ethnic justice and unity. [DBSJ]

Reconciliation: A Sinhala "middle-class" point of view

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Opening up this Blog for people to express their views on national reconciliation, ethnic amity and inter-racial justice seems to have created a vibrant forum.

I am particularly heartened by the positive responses of so many people from different walks in life. [DBSJ]

In Pictures: Displaced Afghans in Khan Colony, Lahor

By Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

Pakistan has hosted one of the world's largest refugee populations since 1978. Almost two million Afghan refugees remain there according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. [TC]

End of Government Commission on Wartime Abuses Puts Justice at Risk

The Sri Lankan government’s announcement that it was ending its special inquiry into conflict-related abuses underscores the need for an international commission to investigate violations of international law by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Human Rights Watch said today. [TC]

PUCL India initiatives on the SL conflict and petition to the UN

Initiatives by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, India, in collaboration with other like minded organisations and civil society personalities, in raising the issue of Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka and also initiating an effort to investigate crimes against humanity and war crimes; [TC]

Channel 4 Video: Fresh claims over Tamil casualties [TC]

International Commission of Jurists urges Sri Lanka to comply with laws and treaties

If Sri Lanka wants to be treated seriously internationally and in the former British Commonwealth. It needs to comply with the laws and treaties.[TC]

Sri Lankan camps breach convention against genocide

The International Commission of Jurists says the conditions there are not the only worry.

Justice Dowd says the purpose of the camps may breach the convention against genocide. [TC]

A Tamil Reflection

by M. Junaid Levesque-Alam

Brintha Jeyalingam is skeptical of the Sri Lankan government's claims and intentions. A 29-year-old American activist with the organization People for Equality and Relief in Sri Lanka (PEARL), her family is of Tamil origin. [TC]

LTTE forming "provisional transnational government" to pursue self-rule for the Tamils

Why international observers are needed in Sri Lanka

by Lorrie Goldstein

Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation. It had the right to bar Liberal MP Bob Rae and Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai, parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs, from entering the country. [TC]

Price of peace for the innocent Tamils

by Dan McDougall

A foul-smelling monsoon closes in from the north, carrying dark clouds of ash from the Hindu funeral pyres burning along the "Highway for Peace and Unity". [TC]

Video: The disappearing act in Sri Lanka

Sharmini Peries speaks to Sunila Abeysekera award-winning human rights defender and the Executive Director of INFORM, an organization working to spread the word on Sri Lankan human rights violations. [TC]

The aftermaths of the war

by Rajan Philips

In the beginning, the Rajapakse government characterized its war against the LTTE as part of the global war on terrorism. In the middle, and muddle, it became the war to liberate the Tamil civilians from the clutches of the LTTE. In the end, the war morphed into a despotic assertion of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty against Western interference. [TC]

Our Post-War Relationship With India Depends on Implementation of 13th Amendment

by Dayan Jayatilleka

The warning about the risk of triumphalism came days before the 65th anniversary celebration of D Day, by the leaders of the US , UK and Franc. [TC]

Permalink TamilWeek: Digest of Week's Top News & Views

UN "worried" over Govt. plans to replace tents with permanent structures [TC]

End Illegal Detention of Displaced Population - HRW

The Sri Lankan government should end the illegal detention of nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils displaced by the recently ended conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today. [TC]

The Wanni IDPs-The path to reconciliation and reintegration

by Nirmala Chandrahasan

Today we are told that there are 300,000 internally displaced persons from what is called the Vanni regions of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, who are in camps which are surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. [TC]

LSSP Did Not Promote Separatism-Upali Cooray: a reply to Channa

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The thoughtful letter on the rise of triumphalism in Sri Lanka written by “podi seeya” Upali Cooray to his grand nephew was posted on this blog under the heading “Chauvinist fever following military defeat of LTTE”. [dbsj]

The uncertain future of Tamils in Sri Lanka

From ~ The Economist Magazine

With the government's defeat of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers) and the end of the civil war, attention in Sri Lanka is turning to the future. [TC]

The Globe and Mail: Sri Lanka discredits itself

The decision by Sri Lanka to turn away Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae is more than an insult to a distinguished Canadian who has worked at some personal risk to end violence in that country, but is an affront to Canada itself, a Commonwealth friend that has supported Sri Lankan peace efforts and which in 2006 strengthened the Sri Lankan government's hand by listing, correctly if belatedly, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a terrorist organization. [TC]

Toronto Star: "Harper government should pick up where Rae was rebuffed"

Bob Rae is no starry-eyed apologist for Sri Lanka's defeated Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Writing in the Star a few months ago, he described them as "ruthless at killing their opponents," undemocratic, suicide bombers and recruiters of child soldiers. [TC]

Canada rips Sri Lanka for deporting 'security threat' Rae [TC]

CBC Audio: Bob Rae on "As it happens" from London, Heathrow

Sri Lanka is a hot country. The weather's hot. The food's hot. And the country has just seen the bloody end of a terrifyingly hot civil war. But there was no warmth in the reception Bob Rae received when his flight touched down in Colombo yesterday. [TC]

Injustice fuels Sri Lanka's cycle of abuse and impunity

by Amnesty International

Amnesty International has accused the Sri Lankan government of trapping the country in a vicious cycle of abuse and impunity. A new report published on Thursday by the organization details the Sri Lankan government’s failure to deliver justice for serious human rights violations over the past twenty years. [TC]

The task of reconciling a divided people is not insurmountable

by Shanie

After over fifty years of worsening ethnic relations and an insurgency that has lasted for more than half that period, the task of reconciling a divided people is a monumental but not insurmountable one. [TC]

Military Victory over  LTTE Provides Twelve Lessons for Business

By Rohantha Athukorala

In my tenure of fifteen years of business experience in some of the leading multinationals in the world and managing some of the most powerful brands globally like Dettol could not even come close to the excitement that I have experienced in the last 3 years of working in the largest team for the country in its war against the LTTE. [TC]

Grief and despondency in Sri Lanka's camps

Written by: A writer in Sri Lanka

She stood in the door frame of a former clothing factory in northern Sri Lanka. A tiny little woman with long, slightly grey hair pulled back in a ponytail. In her hand she held a small plastic photo album. [TC]

Bob Rae: "If this is how they treat me, imagine how they treat people who can't speak out" [TC]

Bob Rae: "I have flown a very long way only to be told the door is firmly shut."

Sri Lanka on Wednesday, on June 10th deported Bob Rae MP from Colombo. He was briefly detained at the airport.

"The government of Sri Lanka knew my views, and granted me a visa," Rae said in an emailed statement. "I have flown a very long way only to be told the door is firmly shut."

Following is a Recent op-ed by Bob Rae MP: [TC]

Statement of Group of Concerned Tamils of Sri Lanka

We appeal to all concerned to attend to the pressing needs of the time. We appeal to the government of Sri Lanka and all other concerned parties to allay the fears of the Tamil people and to address the dire needs of all those affected by the recent onslaught of war. [TC]

"Api" (us)-"Owun" (them): A pictorial tugging at heartstrings

by. D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Several people both known and unknown have been forwarding a particular e-mail to me the last few days.

It consists of some moving pictorial images contrasting the pathetic existence of internally displaced Tamils on the one hand and the comfortable lifestyle of some Sinhala people on the other. [dbsj]

Can Tamils Seize a new opportunity ?

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Ajith Ratnarajah is one of the enthusiastic readers of this blog. Apart from posting some pertinent comments under pseudonyms Ajith also sends me e-mails frequently [dbsj]

Chauvinist fever following military defeat of LTTE

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

U.N.Secretary-General Ban Ki moon has warned of the risk of rising triumphalism in Sri Lanka following the military defeat inflicted upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the Sri Lankan armed forces..

It is quite understandable that people suffering from what they perceived as terrorism would be relieved at the prospect of such acts ceasing and would celebrate what they think is an “end to terrorism”.

At the same time the Rajapakse regime is deriving maximum political mileage out of this victory and is therefore whipping up thinly guised triumphalist fervour to enhance its popularity. [dbsj]

The Ten Great Myths of Modern Sri Lanka

By Satya Sagar

In the ancient Indian epic Ramayana the Aryan Prince Rama goes all the way from north India to vanquish Ravana, the King of Lanka. Following a massive battle in which thousands are slaughtered Rama, with the help of the monkey god Hanuman, finally rescues his kidnapped wife Sita in a grand victory of ‘good' over ‘evil'. [TC]

Media in Sri Lanka: Battered, bruised, cowed and polarised

By Kshama Ranawana

A battered, bruised, cowed and polarized media is all that is left of the profession in Sri Lanka.

That is the result of three years of relentless attacks on reporters and media institutions that dared to uphold professional standards and protect the “publics' right to know”. [TC]

Permalink TamilWeek: Digest of Week's Top News & Views

Sri Lanka After the War – Part II

by Col R Hariharan

Tamil speaking politicians are there in almost all parties including the two major political parties of Sri Lanka. [TC]

Poddala Jayantha: Latest Journalist victim in Sri Lanka

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

The witch hunt against journalists depicted as enemies of the State continues unabated in Sri Lanka.

The latest victim in this "officially sanctioned unofficial campaign" is Poddala Jayantha, a senior Journalist and prominent media rights activist. [dbsj]

Video and full transcript: Ban calls for accountability and transparency in Sri Lanka [TC]

Sky News Video: MIA Hits Out At 'Concentration Camps'

MIA, who used to live in Sri Lanka and experienced the war, told Sky News: "Three hundred thousand people have been put into concentration camps and they (the authorities)have taken all the rights away from these people. [TC]

IDPs in Vavunia: "We are doing a great wrong to these people" - CJ Sarath Nanda Silva

Over two hundred thousand people in refugee camps are not treated according to the law of the land, says the Chief Justice (CJ) of Sri Lanka. [TC]

Healing and reconciliation: Three more responses

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

When I posted Mohan Sekaram’s mail with his permission on this blog little did I realize it would have such impact.

My original intention was simply that of presenting a different refreshing point of view. Needless to say I shared his opinion to a great extent too.

What I thought would be a mere ripple has made quite a splash and acquired a momentum of its own at least on this site. [dbsj]

Treating the wounded and medical emergencies remains a priority-MSF

"The current restrictions on access to the camps is limiting and slowing are ability to respond to the medical needs of the internally displaced persons,” said Severine Ramon, MSF coordinator in the MSF field hospital [TC]

Government Threats, ‘Disappearances’ After Past Military Victories Are Cause for Concern-HRW

The Sri Lankan government should ensure that military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam does not result in new "disappearances," unlawful killings or the jailing of government critics, Human Rights Watch said today. [TC]

End Incitement to Violence Against Journalists

Statement by IFJ

Poddala Jayantha, a journalist and general secretary of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), an IFJ affiliate, was abducted by at least six unknown people. He was bashed repeatedly with wooden and metal poles and his beard and hair were shaved off. [TC]

Let’s get together and reconcile: Two Sinhala responses

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Mohan Sekaram’s private e-mail to some of his friends that I posted on this blog with his permission has evoked a tremendous response.

I am extremely happy about posting it because of the very positive vibes from people of Sri Lanka and of Sri Lankan origin. [dbsj]

Bloggingheads video: Sri Lanka Aftermath

Mark Leon Goldberg, left, of UN Dispatch and Matthew Lee of Inner City Press discuss post-conflict Sri Lanka. [TC]

Sri Lanka after the War - Part I

by Col R Hariharan

Undoubtedly Sri Lanka, under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has scored an unprecedented military victory in the Eelam War IV with the near total elimination of the entire leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). [TC]

CPA receives threatening letter [TC]

Sri Lanka Tamils 'facing misery' in the world's 'largest displacement camp'

V Anandasangaree described condition in camps for civilians displaced by the country's war as "horrible".

The head of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) said hundreds of thousands faced misery and hardship [TC]

Sinhala and Tamil: Let's get together and reconcile

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

These are troubling times for Tamils worldwide and many are either in a state of shock or denial.

The situation is made worse by the chauvinist, triumphalist crowing by some (NOT ALL) Sinhalese on the one hand and equally chauvinistic, unrealistic utterances by some (NOT ALL) Tamils. [dbsj]

Pictorial: Roadside Hopper Makers in Maamangam, Batticaloa

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai

While traveling to Batticaloa, it’s very refreshing to witness the firewood carriers, trying to manage a whole load of firewood on their bicycles, and ride through the wind against them. Likewise while being in Batticaloa, we do not fail to catch the images of women making hoppers on the roadside at dusk. Most of us are used to stop by the hopper sellers to taste the instant milk hoppers. [TC]

The battle of Geneva was revelation of Lanka's true friends

by Dayan Jayatilleka

Was Geneva the last battle of the Thirty Years (hot) war, the first battle of the next war – a long Cold War against Sri Lanka -- or was it a combination? Only future history will tell. [TC]

Plight of children stuck in Sri Lankan camps

by: Save the Children

I visited Vavuniya in early May, one of the towns in the north of Sri Lanka where lots of people uprooted by fighting between troops and rebels have arrived over the last few months. [TC]

Sri Lanka 'will face UN inquiry'

Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC says Sri Lanka will face an inquiry from the UN Human Rights Committee. [TC]

Video: Prabhakaran wanted the whole country – President Rajapakse[TC]

India’s role in Sri Lanka: Three immediate priorities

by B. Raman

Many Sri Lankan Tamils were killed during the anti-Tamil riots in Colombo in 1983. In their anxiety to suppress details of the exact number of fatalities from being known to the international community, the Sri Lankan authorities allegedly decided to secretly burn the dead bodies of the Tamils killed in mass cremations without informing the relatives. [TC]

Being Captain,No 3 Batsman and Wicket-keeper Is Too Much For Sangakkara

By Nirgunan Tiruchelvam

The Sri Lankan team have misled the board and the public. Last year, the squad campaigned for the England tour to be scrapped in favour of the IPL. [TC]

UK Guardian report on Tamil children interned in Ambepusse

Guardian UK has published a report by Gethin Chamberlain, about Tamil children interned "after escaping from the rebels" at the Ambepusse "rehabilitation centre" [TC]

How the LTTE was destroyed and power grab for the international network

by Shanaka Jayasekara

Consider for a moment if it was possible to defeat the Hezbollah or Hamas. The achievements of the Sri Lankan security forces are of a comparable scale. [TC]

Then and now: President Mahinda Rajapakse on "terrorists and insurgents"

by Phil Rees

"Language has changed..this is what the difference is...they called them insurgents...they never called them terrorists.[TC]

Poem: Sufferings in the Lionland

by Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz

Let’s celebrate suffering of others,
Let’s rejoice slaughter of others,
from street to street,
from village to village [TC]

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