by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Jaffna described as the cultural capital of the Sri Lankan Tamils has for decades been a war affected region. The absence of military conflict in recent times has afforded an opportunity for the ravaged people to re-build their battered lives. Many hands of concern and amity have been extended in friendship towards [...]
Archive of entries posted on 8th September 2012
Murali Harmony Cup Cricket Tournament in the North launched by Mahela and Sanga
Sri Lanka cricket legends Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara launched the 2012 Murali Harmony Cup on Saturday by opening the newly-built IODR Oval in the previously war-affected northern town of Oddusuddan in Mullaitivu Province. The school cricket ground is the flagship venue of the 20-team reconciliation tournament staged to promote community-building and friendship in post-war [...]
Sri Lanka: Noisily Divided House is Waking up its Neighbours
by M.A Sumanthiran .M.P. A Protest rightly understood is a form of mass communication with the intent to persuade policy change. The freedom to protest is characteristic of a healthy democratic society. It is a safeguard mechanism for the rights of the marginalized. Bertrand Russell argued that the most salient facts in a nationally contested [...]
The Myth of a Rajapaksa Family of Supermen
By Tisaranee Gunasekara “We were given a King; Come, Rally, All as One.” (UPFA Propaganda Song) Last week Sri Lanka won her first Paralympic Medal. Sooner, or later, the credit for that triumph would be laid at some Rajapaksa-door, though Lankan Paralympic-entrants were left to fend for themselves even more than Lankan Olympic-entrants. As the [...]
Travel Industry Feels Crunch of Govt Ban on Pilgrim Tours to Tamil Nadu
by Leon Berenger The travel industry is feeling the crunch of the government’s ban on pilgrim tours to Tamil Nadu where scores of pilgrims have been stoned by mobs. Indian media reports have accused supporters of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jeyalalithaa Jeyaram, who is spearheading an anti-Sri Lanka campaign of carrying out the attacks. However, [...]
Tamil Extremists Attack Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil Nadu
by C.A.Chandraprema As the provincial election campaign came to a close, the incident where some Sri Lankan pilgrims were attacked by Tamil extremists in Tamil Nadu overshadowed everything else. The election was completely forgotten due to this incident.
Sri Lankan Immigration to Italy: Reflections and Anecdotes
By L.C. Arulpragasam This article deals with the patterns, problems and some stories of Sri Lankan immigration into Italy during the period 1970 to 2000. Although it focuses on immigration into Italy, the problems discussed are common to most “new” countries of immigration. The latter are the non-English speaking countries, which have become Sri Lankan’s [...]
Repeating ‘Mantra’ That This is a ‘Sinhala Bauddha Rata’ is Particularly Hurtful to Minorities
by Dr A.C.Visvalingam, President, CIMOGG The composition of the population of Sri Lanka is such that no one can ordinarily become its predominant leader unless he happens to be a Sinhala Buddhist. Needless to say, the leader would make his own assessment of the stance that most Sinhala Buddhists would be likely to take in [...]
Elections Commissioner has Enormous Powers Vested in Him to Ensure Free and Fair Provincial Elections
By Vishnuguptha “Voting is the most precious right of every citizen, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the integrity of our voting process.” -Hillary Clinton Voting for Provincial Council elections in Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces are scheduled to begin in 24 hours. Voters in these Provinces will walk and line up [...]
Munneswaram in Chilaw: Heritage of Ethno-Religious Harmony and Plural Worship
By P.K. Balachandran The Munneswaram Kovil in Chilaw is presently at the centre of a controversy over animal sacrifice. Although animal rights activists are among those, who are fighting for the end of this practice, the opposition voiced by the standard bearers of Sinhala-Buddhism like the Janthika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a section of Buddhist monks, [...]
Ranjana Thangaraja who Danced in the Carol Reed Film “Outcasts of the Islands”
By A.D. Ranjith Kumara The movie Outcasts of the Islands was a 1951 film directed by British filmmaker Carol Reed based on a novel by Joseph Conrad. It was shot on location in Ceylon in 1950, and premiered on January 2, 1952. It also went into the annals as the first British movie that was [...]
Tilak Jayaratne: Indomitable Broadcaster with a Stubborn Conscience
by Kishali Pinto Jayewardene Making an extraordinarily acute observation, veteran broadcaster and scriptwriter Tilak Jayaratne who passed away this week after battling a killer disease with characteristic courage, pointed out in a telephone conversation with me on the phone barely two months ago that there was little point in ‘grumbling about bad political leaders or [...]
