June 21-27:
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?
By Niro Dissanayake
All that was predicted and feared/anticipated depending where you are standing has come to pass. The ‘Dutugemunu Principle’ has peaked and the policy of 60 years has come to fruition. The Sinhalese have come a full circle and stand victorious and united with their writ running from North to South, East to West, as was in the time of the great king 2000 years ago. History has repeated itself in eerie fashion. [TC]
Anglican Archbishop bishop urges Canadian government action on Sri Lanka
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: Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
Ever since the final days of Sri Lanka's offensive against the Tamil Tigers sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing, aid agencies have been struggling to cope with the needs of the displaced. Add to that the operational restrictions imposed by the authorities, and it has been a challenging environment to work in. [TC]
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?
by Rohini Hensman
Throughout the gruesome finale of the civil war, the government of Sri Lanka claimed to be engaged in the largest hostage rescue mission ever, to release civilians in the Vanni who were being held against their will by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Yet the vast majority of these civilians are still not free. So what exactly has been happening? [TC]
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]
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 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]