Posts filed under 'This Day'
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj
(Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed on August 12th 2005. This article written in August 2005 for “The Sunday Leader” is reproduced here to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his death.It has been shortened)
Lakshman Kadirgamar ~ (April 12, 1932 – August 12, 2005)
Independence dawned for Sri Lanka then Ceylon on February 4th 1948. The union jack was lowered and the national flag raised at the stroke of midnight. Even as the flag fluttered proudly four young athletes carrying flaming torches entered the square and ran up the steps of Independence hall. Together they lit the lamp of freedom.
Continue Reading August 11th, 2010
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The tragic history of post – independence Sri Lanka records that the Tamils of Sri Lanka have been subjected to mass –scale mob violence in the years 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983. The anti-Tamil violence of July 1983 was the most terrible and horrible of them all. It remains etched in memory even after 27 years.
Continue Reading July 24th, 2010
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Fifty years ago on 21 July 1960, Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was sworn in as Prime Minister of Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was known then). The 44-year-old widow of Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike made history on that day as the world’s first woman Prime Minister.
Continue Reading July 23rd, 2010
by D.B. S. Jeyaraj
Hello Friends
Today July 21st is the 50th anniversary of Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike becoming Prime Minister of Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon. Needless to say she made history then as the world’s first woman prime minister and put the Island nation on the global map.
I thought of remembering on this historically important date this remarkable woman who made a lasting impact on the fate of her country.
Continue Reading July 21st, 2010
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
September 26th 1959 is an important date in the post-independence history of Sri Lanka. It was on this day fifty years ago that the Prime Minister Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) of the then Ceylon passed away . He had been shot the previous day by a Buddhist priest.
The past decades have seen hundreds of political assassinations in Sri Lanka. Both Tamil and Sinhala armed groups have been responsible for these killings at different times and locations.
An executive President, leader and former leader of the opposition, cabinet ministers and ex-cabinet ministers, Parliamentarians and former Parliamentarians, provincial council ministers, heads of district councils and local authorities have all been assassinated. A head of state survived an assassination attempt but lost an eye.
The assassinations of those who held or were holding high political office have been so numerous in recent times that most people have lost count of such assassinations.
SWRD Bandaranaike
Against this backdrop the solitary assassination that occurred 50 years ago may seem insignificant to some. What has to be remembered is that the incident was the first of its type in independent Sri Lanka. The impact of that single assassination was tremendous at that time. It is pertinent therefore to delve into that assassination and its aftermath fifty years later on this day.
Continue Reading September 25th, 2009
Hello Friends,
It was on July 22nd that I posted an article by Lilani Jayatilaka on this blog with my heading “A Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Sri Lanka”?.
As I stated in my introduction the article in question had appeared in the “Sunday Island” of July 12th 2009 under the heading “Healing Memories:Lessons to be learnt from the South African Experience”.
Here is what I wrote then-”There was an excellent article offering much food for thought in the “Sunday Island” of July 12th 2009 by Lilani Jayatilaka that focused on the lessons of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”
The article was inspired by Bishop Desmond Tutu’s book “No Future Without Forgiveness”. The book is on the findings of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission which Bishop Tutu chaired.
Lilani who is experienced in counselling emphasises how important it is for the people of this land to speak out about their grief, suffering and sorrow.
Reading and re-reading this article was an uplifting experience for me and I want to share it with you all.”
The article did result in making people think and there were quite a lot of comments. Some of these expressed very clear thoughts.
Still I was sorry that many who commented seemed to have either missed what Lilani was trying to say or misunderstood her.
An erudite observer who is perhaps Lilani’s “best friend” said it best in a personal e-mail to me.
I am excerpting the relevant paragraph here without revealing the writer’s identity.
“Reading some of the responses it is clear that some of those who had responded have not understood Lilani’s point correctly.
Continue Reading August 2nd, 2009
Carol Off interviews D.B.S. Jeyaraj
This is an audio extract from the CBC “As it Happens” program of May 12th 2009 ~ [10 minutes]
[Carol Off, co-host of As it Happens]
[mp3-audio]
Continue Reading May 13th, 2009
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Latest developments on the Wanni war front have brought much relief to all people yearning for the safety of entrapped civilians in the coastal strip of northern Mullaitivu district currently controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The long awaited military operation to break through Tiger defences and facilitate the evacuation of civilians that began at midnight on Sunday April 19 has been a success in terms of numbers.
By Thursday April 24 around 103,000 people from Palammaathalan, Ambalavanpokkanai and Puthumaathalan areas had been freed from what was in reality an open prison.
Since the Government had not geared itself up to handle such large numbers the officials both military and civil are struggling to cope with the large influx.
Continue Reading April 26th, 2009
This is the time when the world rings out the old year and rings in the New Year.
Adieu 2008! Bienvenue 2009.
The ushering in of a new year is usually a happy ,festive occasion. It is a time of renewed hope where we look forward to the future with optimistic confidence.
I must confess that I was in no buoyant mood on December 31st. Reflecting on the sad events of 2008 simply made me gloomy and despondent. The loss of a loved one was particularly saddening.
When friends asked me about my prognosis for the new year I felt even more despondent and gloomy.
There was very little to look forward to for the new year. The economic recession, declining markets, depreciating housing prices, global warming, rise in xenophobia and hate, increasing authoritarianism and erosion of human rights etc on a global scale depress me.
In Sri Lanka things get bad to worse as war escalates and envelopes.Corruption, misgovernance, nepotism, racism, egoistic clashes at high levels, erosion of democratic values, lack of respect for rule of law, lack of transparency, deteriorating economy, human rights violations, rise of neo – fascism etc ravage the land.
Continue Reading January 1st, 2009
