By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Twenty –five years have passed since the signing of the Indo – Lanka accord by former Indian Prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and ex –Sri Lankan president Junius Richard Jayewardena on July 29th 1987. It was hailed as a great breakthrough when it was signed. Indian Parliamentary delegation visiting Sri Lanka pays tribute [...]
Archive of entries posted on 27th July 2012
East Pakistan and North-East Sri Lanka: A tale of two interventions
by Col. R. Hariharan The India-Sri Lanka Agreement 1987, also known as the Rajiv-Jayawardene Accord, completes 25 years on July 29. Signing of Indo-Lanka accord As a soldier who actively participated in India’s military intervention in both Sri Lanka (1987-90) and East Pakistan in 1971 (that created Bangladesh), I cannot help comparing the two exercises [...]
Presidential powers used with caution and discipline by JR became very strong device in the hands of his successors
By Vishnuguptha “Mankind will never see an end of trouble until… lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power… become lovers of wisdom.” Plato, The Republic Many arguments are being made for the legitimization and validity of the Executive Presidency system; amongst many and latest of which is the winning [...]
Kodeeswaran Case, Section 29 and Abolition of Privy Council
By Mike Andree It is very strange how the masses use the ballot to curb the freedoms that they had been enjoying for years. It is only after a long lapse that they come to their senses and realise that they had been led like wild animals to their own doom. Democracy is a double [...]
Mihintale the Cradle of Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Story & Photos by Vajira Wijesuriya A day trip from Anuradhapura, Mihintale is where Buddhism began in Sri Lanka. It is at this location that Arahat Mahinda, who came from India, stopped the Sri Lankan King Dewanampiyatissa from hunting and taught him Dhamma. Easily underestimated, but with many sites to visit, this place warrants an [...]
The Daredevils who Jump into the sea from the ramparts of Galle Fort
Galle Fort jumping of the ancient citadel walls started in the early 2009 and it is considered an equivalent to the bungee jump, only a lot more dangerous. The jumpers don’t even use an elasticized rope to pull you back from the near death experience, and do not have a clear landing point. This hair-raising [...]
Comb Ducks spotted in Yala after 80 years are being seen now in Wewegama tank too
By Risidra Mendis The Comb Duck, spotted at the Yala National Park after a lapse of over 80 years, was once again being observed in larger numbers at the Wewegama Tank in the Mattala Managed Elephant Range (MER) in June 2012. The Comb Duck species (Sarkidiornis melanotus), believed to be a native of Sri Lanka, [...]
Russia launches campaign against ‘UnRussian’ Food like McDonald’s hamburgers
By Robert Amsterdam In Russia, nationalism takes many forms, bearing down even on the food Russians choose to eat. Politics have resulted in bans on Georgian wine and mineral water, “health concerns” over the sanitary condition of Polish sausages, and now, an easy target, McDonald’s hamburgers are under attack.
Kurdish Nationalists Liberate Kurdish Regions in Syria after Army retreats
by Hevidar Ahmed ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Syrian governmental forces have retreated from the Kurdish regions of Syria without a fight; the liberated cities are now being ruled evenly by the People’s Council of Syrian Kurdistan (PYD) and the Kurdish National Council (KNC). According to the information obtained by Rudaw, the Kurdish cities of Kobane, [...]
