Dec 27-Jan 2:
Sinhala Politicians of All Hues Realise Importance of Tamil and Muslim Votes
By Tisaranee Gunasekara
Sarath Fonseka’s candidature in the upcoming presidential elections might be a setback for the Rajapaksa dynastic project. But the general’s Sinhala supremacy agenda cannot calm the minorities. [TC]
Rajapakse or Fonseka on losing will have to contest General Elections
by Gomin Dayasri
General Fonseka was deservingly afforded facilities hitherto not provided to a previous Commander since no other Commander had won a war. [TC]
Five Tamil refugees arrive at Mukundarayar Chathiram
Five Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including three children, arrived at Mukundarayar Chathiram near Dhanushkodi on Thursday, Dec 30th. This was reportedly the first since the end of the war between LTTE and Sri Lankan armed forces in May this year. [TC]
Sri Lankans need to defeat present anti-people rule and build people power
By Lionel Bopage
The present President of Sri Lanka, who consolidated his power after defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily, has spurned the pledges of ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ manifesto of the 2005 presidential elections. [TC]
Transparency International accuses President Rajapakse of "illegal" election campaign
The full text of the report is as follows:
Pointing out that members of the Police,armed forces and public officials are being deployed to engage in propaganda activity the report also spotlights the $ 790,000 dollar advertising campaign conducted by the President's son Namal Rajapakse for which public funds are being solicited.[TC]
Education in Sri Lanka: A casualty of nationalism
By Marshal Fernando and Santasilan Kadirgamar
Among the colonies of the British Empire, Ceylon, as it was then known, was far ahead of its neighbours with regard to its primary and secondary school systems.[TC]
Not Quite Paradise:An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka
by Terry Hong
Three weeks after 9/11, University of Arizona professor Adele Barker arrived in Sri Lanka as a senior Fulbright Scholar to teach Russian literature, feminist literary theory, and American literature to select students at the University of Peradeniya [TC]
Why did LTTE come to being and who really created it?
by Chaminda Weerawardhana
Now, the SL government and a strongly Sinhala nationalist leadership (with a Sinhala supremacist discourse, coated in the false and dis-orienting stance of 'patriots' and 'non-patriots') has militarily defeated and decimated its own 'bete noire'. [TC]
If the Tamils vote for the General he may win
By Lal Wickrematunge
For little Sri Lanka, 2009 was a year of celebration and heart break. The aftermath of an improbable victory against the LTTE brought a massive wave of support from the Sinhala majority to President Mahinda Rajapakse. [TC]
Govt gets ready for witch-hunt against prominent Sarath Fonseka supporters
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Moves underfoot to "attract" MP's from opposition ranks to govt side as retaliatory measure for crossing over by CWC stalwarts [TC]
Mano Ganesan taken by surprise at CWC stalwarts crossover
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Ramiah Yogarajan and Murugan Satchithanandam of Ceylon Workers Congress cross over from Govt ranks to opposition & join UNP [TC]
Presidential aspirants must reveal where the beef is and how they would cook it
by Dr. Packiyasothy Saravanamuttu
Two thousand and nine will be a year to remember and with relief, regret, sadness, hope and joy or a mix thereof depending on one’s political sympathies and affiliations.[TC]
Desecration of Tiger war memorials deserve condemnation
By Prof. Michael Roberts
That was then in 2004. Now, in mid-late 2009, after the LTTE was vanquished, these tuyilam illam are no more.
TULF President's 15 point proposals for urgent consideration of all Presidential candidates
The Tamil United Liberation Front having very carefully considered all the aspects of the present political situation, decided to place before his Excellency the President and all the other Presidential Candidates, a set of proposals for implementation in the event of any one of them getting elected as the President of Sri Lanka. [TC]
LTTE leaders who surrendered were killed by Army Special Forces
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The LTTE’s political commissar Balasingham Mahendran alias Nadesan and head of tiger peace secretariat Seevaratham Prabhakaran alias Pulidevan and some other tiger leaders and members had allegedly been executed in cold blood after surrendering with white flags. [dbsj]
by Harim Peiris
There are huge social and economic challenges before us as a nation. Namely to heal a deeply divided society and to ensure equitable and sustainable economic growth. This has to be done in the context of an external environment where the Tamil Diaspora remain hostile to the Sri Lankan State and a global economy that is fundamentally reshaping after the financial meltdown and global slowdown of 2008/09. [TC]
Track record of Tamil Nationalist politics is repeated failure capped by defeat
by Dayan Jayatilleka
When in the individual sphere there is a long continuity of failure, a rational human being re-examines his/her life, while an irrational one blames everyone else.[TC]
Both Mahinda and Sarath playing the lyre like Nero
By Uvindu Kurukulasuriya
Today, we need not listen to rumours as we can see Rajapaksha for ourselves who has got on to his private stage at “Temple Trees” and is comparing the new calamities with the old. [TC]
Sri Lanka Conducting Its Own ‘war-crimes’ investigation Is Becoming Imperative
by Kalana Senaratne
General Sarath Fonseka claims during an interview (The Sunday Leader, interview of 13 December 2009) that he had learnt that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had given orders not to accommodate (kill) any LTTE leaders ‘attempting to surrender’. [TC]
Missing Tsunami donor funds and current development of North East Sri Lanka
"Review and deliberation of Tsunami recovery process important in the context of current development of North and East Sri Lanka," Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), said in a statement marking the fifth anniversary of the 2004 tsunami. [TC]
Land without checkpoints feels free to Tamil refugees
by Farah Farouque
''IT FEELS like freedom, now,'' says Sanmugam Sarpatheepan. [TC]
"War has brought misery and barbarism to all people of Lanka"
by Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne
The local “bourgeois democracy” including Lakthilaka, Victor Ivan and the rump of platform for freedom has decided to save democracy by getting General Sarath Fonseka elected. [TC]
Notebook of a Photojournalist: The wave of killer, and the wave of compassion
by K.T. Kumaran
The aftermath of the Dec 26th 2004 tsunami and the continuing devastating impact on all affected communities in Sri Lanka’s North, South and Eastern provinces have been brought via pictorial journals on HumanityAshore.org since January 2005. No other journal has covered all areas of Sri Lanka in this extensive manner. [TC]
Political wranglings overshadow conscience and concerns of ordinary people
by M.S.M. Ayub
With the issues surrounding the alleged comment made by the opposition’s common Presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka to a newspaper gaining ground, almost all issues concerning the ordinary people have been overshadowed. Also the election campaign has turned into a smear campaign, as President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, days ago [TC]
"In a country of deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"
by T. Earakan
Sri Lankans of several walks of life, from politicians to everyday readers have been ratcheting opinion on General Fonseka's interview with The Sunday Leader, in several media outlets in the recent days [TC]