By
Ramani Mendis
Secretary of Ravana Balaya, Innekande Saddhatissa Thera threatened to stop the screening of films starring Tamil Nadu actors such as Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Sarath Kumar or Rajanikanth, saying “We will not say it unless we can actually do it.”
Recent awareness fast in Chennai for Tamils of Sri Lanka ~ Via twitter.com/vikatan
The Thera made his sentiments known at a meeting with Chairman of the National Film Corporation, Asoka Serasinghe, yesterday.
By
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
From time to time, politicians from the South, especially during various phases of political negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have dangled a particular carrot before the Tamil community from the North and East – elections in the provinces to elect their own representatives.
Tamil political parties for their part, particularly the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), for years had resisted the idea, claiming the absence of civil administration and a suitable climate for engagement in political activities. In 2008, a former LTTE cadre was installed in office as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province. Now it is the turn for the former war-ridden Northern Province to hold polls, albeit with some snags.
By Prof. V. Suryanarayan
In a unanimous resolution on 3 May 2013, the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly demanded the Government of India should take immediate steps to take back control of Kachchatheevu, a small, barren island in the Palk Bay, which was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974. The context for reviving the demand is the ‘continuous violent attacks, torture and arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy’. During the last three decades the rich fishing grounds, especially lucrative on the Sri Lankan side of the maritime boundary, have become a bone of contention among fishermen in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen and the Sri Lankan Navy. Nearly 400 Indian fishermen have been killed in incidents of firing, several boats have been destroyed, many fishermen have been injured and catch worth crores of rupees have been dumped into the sea.
Continue reading ‘Indian Fishermen Deprive Sri Lankan Tamil Fishermen of their Livelihood’ »
By
DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” -‘The Second Coming’, WB Yeats (1919)
When Sri Lanka was nominated as host of the Non Aligned Conference and chair of the Non Aligned Movement under Madam Bandaranaike there wasn’t a single dissenting voice within that movement or anywhere in the world. As Sri Lanka plans to host the Commonwealth summit, there are. It is highly likely that there will be a global media and civil society campaign which causes considerable embarrassment to this country and further tarnishes its name, as the summit nears.
pic via: facebook.com/mazathssalley
This makes it incumbent upon Sri Lanka to demonstrate that it is indeed suitable beyond a reasonable doubt, in terms of its adherence to and practice of the democratic values, virtues and spirit of the Commonwealth to chair that organization for two years. It is against this backdrop that the Azath Salley saga unfolds.
Continue reading ‘Why Treat Azath Salley as a Major Threat to National Security and Turn him into an Internationally Known Name?’ »
The Dalai Lama has implored Buddhist monks in Myanmar and Sri Lanka to put an end to a series of recent attacks on Muslims in their countries, the Associated Press reported today.
The Dalai Lama spoke to a crowd of about 15,000 students, faculty, and guests as part of the Anwar Sadat Lecture for Peace on May 7th, 2013 – pic by James Levin courtesy: Diamondback-University of Maryland
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader spoke Tuesday night about religious violence when asked questions following a speech he delivered to 15,000 people at the University of Maryland. He condemned all killing being carried out in the name of religion and then turned to his own religion.
Continue reading ‘Dalai Lama Criticises Buddhists Including Monks For Violence Against Muslims in Sri Lanka and Burma’ »
Azath Salley
Azath Salley’s detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act should be revoked and he should be released immediately.
If there are indeed serious allegations of his inciting religious hostility that merit investigation, such investigation, and any consequent action, should take place under the normal law. It should also be part of a wider law-enforcement exercise against all such offenders, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political affiliation.
Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran has stated that the expulsion of Muslims from North was an act of ethnic cleansing. Eviction of Muslim community from North within 24 hours was nothing but ethnic cleansing he said.
M.A. Sumanthiran MP paying tribute to S.J.V. Chelvanayagam in Batticaloa~May 2013
Sumanthiran made these comments which he described as the “bitter truth”, at the 36th death anniversary of S.J.V. Chelvanayagam meeting held in Vantharumoolai, Batticaloa. Chelvanayakam is the founder of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi also known as the Federal Party.
Continue reading ‘TNA MP Sumanthiran Says Eviction of Muslims From North was Nothing But Ethnic Cleansing’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Rizona and Azath Salley ~ at their daughter Amina’s Wedding ~ Oct 2012
A writ of habeas corpus regarding former Colombo deputy mayor and leader of the National Unity Front Azath Salley was filed in the Court of Appeal on Tuesday May 7th.
The writ was filed on behalf of Mr. Salley’s wife Mrs. F. Rinoza M. Salley by senior Attorney at law Ms. Gowrishankari Thavarajah. Tamil National alliance parliamentarian and senior lawyer M. A. Sumanthiran will be supporting the habeas corpus write when taken up by the Appeal court.
Ms. Gowrishangari Thavarajah is the wife of lawyer KV Thavarajah who is also the president of the Colombo branch of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK)
Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday in parliament, demanded to know from the Government whether the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act would continue to be used to suppress opposition politicians.
Making a special statement, on the arrest of National Unity Alliance General Secretary Azath Salley, the Opposition Leader said that the present conduct of the government raises serious questions. “The conclusion we can arrive at through this conduct is that the government is abusing the Prevention of Terrorism Act to suppress its political opponents. This situation may be aggravated in future.”
By Norman Palihawadana
Irked by various quarters raising concern over the arrest of former Colombo Deputy Mayor Azath Salley, blunt speaking Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that Salley was arrested for discussing the option of taking up arms and inciting Muslim youth in a speech, in Tamil Nadu.
By
Upul Joseph Fernando
It is no secret that the assurance the government received that Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will definitely be held in Sri Lanka as scheduled carried India’s imprimatur.
President Pranab Mukherjee shakes hands with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa during a meeting at rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi~Sep 2012~PTI Photo
Speculation as to who in the Indian polity pulled it off for President Mahinda Rajapaksa gained considerable interest in the local political guessing game. Now, it has come to light through sources at the Ministry of External Affairs, the knight in armour, who came to the rescue was none other than Mahinda’s erstwhile friend, Pranab Mukherjee, President of India.
Continue reading ‘Indian President Pranab Mukherjee is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Guardian Angel in the Indian Establishment’ »
By Ameen Izzadeen
The genie is out and it is difficult to put it back into the bottle, say concerned Sri Lankans as anti-Muslim hatred spreads far and wide, evoking fears of a major ethnic riot which the country last witnessed in July 1983. But the voice of the concerned citizens is a murmur against the raucous anti-Muslim hate speech.
Continue reading ‘Anti-Muslim hate campaign intensifies in Sri Lanka’ »
Ameena Azath Salley, daughter of Colombo Municipal Council Member Azath Salley talking to media
By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Former Colombo Deputy Mayor and founder leader of the National Unity Front Azath Salley has been admitted again on Monday May 6th to the Colombo National Hospital after losing consciousness in Police custody
Salley was carried out on a stretcher by Policemen at the Police CID headquarters in Fort and rushed to hospital and wheeled in to ward forty – five where he was administered Saline and Insulin by doctors.
7 May, 2013
We the undersigned, vehemently condemn the arrest and detention of Former Deputy Mayor and General Secretary of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), Azath Salley, by a team of officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), on Thursday, 2 May 2013 morning, and call for his immediate release in the absence of any demonstrable evidence.
Mr. Salley was arrested under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and he has been placed under detention for further interrogation by the CID for 3 months under Section 2(1)(h) of the PTA. Section 2(1)(h) states that a person who has committed an offence under the PTA “….by words either spoken or intended to be read or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise causes or intends to cause commission of acts of violence or religious, racial or communal disharmony or feelings of ill-will or hostility between different communities or racial or religious groups…”
By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Former Colombo Deputy Mayor and Founder Leader of the National Unity Front Azath Salley is currently held at the Police CID Fourth floor headquarters in Fort on a detention order for 90 days issued under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
First Lady Visits Rizana Nafeek’s Home, Feb 2013
When Azath Salley was arrested on Thursday May 2nd the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director General Lakshman Hulugalle was reported by the State controlled “Daily News” newspaper as saying that he was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department following several complaints received by the CID regarding conduct which could damage ethnic harmony, and harm national unity
Hulugalle reportedly said that Salley was taken into custody under Section 120 of the Penal Code and provisions under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Hulugalle reportedly stated that Salley had violated clause 21 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and section 120 of the Penal Code. He (Salley) had incited people with the aim of causing damage to ethnic and religious harmony, in the guise of agitating against the government.
Continue reading ‘Azath Salley was Arrested Because He Made Critical Remarks About Shiranthi Rajapaksa on TNL’ »
By Claire Carter
It is not yet known why the monarch will not attend the meeting. The Prince of Wales will go in her place, Buckingham Palace said.
pic via: facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy
The news comes amid controversy over the summit, with concerns having been raised by member governments over human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. But the decision by the Queen not to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) is not thought to be related, according to Sky News.
By Upul Joseph Fernando
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, in a wide-ranging interview, talks about her rise and decline in Sri Lanka’s turbulent politics, 20 years after her ascendance to political power, which turned tables for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) that was reeling under a spell of defeats.
By
Kamaya Jayatissa
“I believe in the essential unity of all people and for that matter of all lives.”
– Mohandas K. Gandhi
The need for an inclusive solidarity between all Sri Lankans is now urgent. This includes solidarity between members of all communities, as well as members of the Diaspora(s). Such social solidarity, which transcends ethnic and religious barriers, can only be generated by meaningful interaction between people (as individual persons) and between peoples. This means building a cohesive society, one in which diversity is mutually appreciated and valued. It may not be a permanent solution for the current clash of identities but it is part of the solution as it can also be developed as an effective approach to economic and social issues.
Continue reading ‘Building a Reciprocal Solidarity Between Both the Majority and Minority Groups’ »
By
S.L.Gunasekara
I recall as though it happened the other day, little A. C. S. Hameed, the former ineffective Foreign Minister in J. R. Jayewardena’s Government and later Minister in charge of various ministries in R. Premadasa’s Government, putting on what I term his ‘wise look’, looking over his spectacles balanced on the tip of his nose, and saying with the utmost ‘gravity’ as though saying something profound, “The Opposition will have its ‘say’; but the Government will have its ‘way’ ” and the then leader of the House, Ranil Wickremaesinghe expressing wholesale agreement with such sentiment by echoing those words.
Today, the roles are reversed and Wickremesinghe is the under siege leader of a purported ‘Opposition’ which has its ‘say’ or several ‘says’ but nothing more.
The fact that a Government will have its ‘way’ is not something new, but something that always existed after ‘Independence’ whenever the Government had, by purchase or otherwise, a majority of seats in the legislature. When one considers the fact that members of the legislature, from the time of independence, almost always acted as ‘signal posts’ of the leaders of their respective parties and voted in whatever manner such leaders wanted, the truism “the Government will have its ‘way’ ” means in fact that the leadership of a political party will have its way. This is an ugly phenomenon which has grown in magnitude since 1970 from around when sycophancy became a sine qua non for political advancement.
By DR. DAYAN JAYATILLEKA
President Mahinda Rajapaksa with Azath Salley~File pic via: facebook.com/mazathssalley
If Azath Salley is a terrorist in the making – a terrorist who has to be pre-empted by recourse to detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act – or a promoter of fanatical, fundamentalist ethno-religious hatred, he comes with the strangest of profiles.
Continue reading ‘Was Azath Salley a Founder, Leader, Member, Supporter or Sympathizer of an Armed Terrorist Group?’ »
By
Latheef Farook
In the wee hours on Thursday 2 May 2013, prominent Muslim politician Azath Salley, former Deputy Mayor of Colombo Municipality and leader of the newly formed National Unity Alliance, was arrested from his daughter’s Kolonnawa house. He is now being held at the CID headquarters in Fort on a three month detention order.
Salley, taken into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, was accused of inciting people aimed at causing damage to ethnic and religious harmony, in the guise of agitating against the government.
Salley’s family members stated that STF and CID officers had surrounded his daughter’s residence at about 5.30 a.m. and Salley had surrendered to the CID at 7.45 a.m. He was then taken to CID Headquarters in Fort. His family was with him at the time of his arrest.
His arrest drew swift and widespread condemnation demanding his release.
Bodu Bala Sena Rally in Kandy-Mar 2013
by
Ranga Jayasuriya
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has reportedly obtained a detention order to keep Azath Salley, the former Deputy Mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), in custody, for an additional three months, according to the family of the detained politician.
Salley has been kept in custody by the CID since last Thursday (2) after he was arrested under the much loathed and despised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and 120 of the Penal Code. He has been accused of inciting ethnic disharmony.
pic courtesy: BBC
by
Dr.Dayan Jayatilleka
I approach this subject as a political scientist, a former diplomat and briefly a Minister in the Cabinet of the North East Provincial Council. At the overlap of these experiences and roles is what is classifiable as a Realist perspective.
As a Realist, I reject outright three myths about devolution which have been around for a long time but have been resuscitated in the post-war period. Firstly, that devolution in our context is primarily to do with empowerment of the people and ‘the people’ considered without any ethnic connotation. Secondly, that it was to do with the Tigers and now that the Tigers are no more, there is no case for devolution. Thirdly, that it has to do originally and primarily with India.
Azath Salley
By
Tisaranee Gunasekara
“You’re not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” Malcolm X (Advice to Youth of Mississippi – 1964)
Senior Journalist J Tissanayagam was charged with creating ethnic dissension, by a regime which included such apostles of reconciliation as Champika Ranawaka. Azath Salley has been arrested for fermenting religious disharmony by a regime which is providing succour to such proponents of brotherly love as Rev. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thero.
If creating religious disharmony is really an issue for the government, it is not Mr. Salley who should be in custody but the likes of Rev. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thero.
pic courtesy: BBC
Mr Salley was arrested because he made the cardinal error of criticising the Rajapaksas, because he had the temerity to take on the BBS. He stood up to the BBS while Muslim ministers maintained radio silence – probably because they know that the BBS is a Rajapaksa-monkey; and that any minority leader who opposes the saffron-mobsters engaged in Rajapaksas’ work risk imprisonment or worse.
by
JONATHAN MILLER Foreign Affairs Correspondent
The Prime Minister’ s decision comes amid growing alarm over Sri LankaТs dismal and worsening human rights record and fears that permitting Colombo to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will enable the regime to whitewash allegations of war crimes.
Continue reading ‘Human Rights Groups React with Disgust to British PM David Cameron Attending Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka’ »
By
Hana Ibrahim
Sandhya Eknaligoda, wife of missing cartoonist and columnist Prageeth Eknaligoda, holds a placard with an image of her husband during a protest in front of the United Nations head office in Colombo, October 22, 2012. The protest was held to mark 1000 days since the disappearance of Eknaligoda who worked for Lanka-e-News, a privately owned independent network that was critical of the government ~ pic courtesy of: REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte
Twenty-fourth January is remembered for many reasons. Historically, it was on this day that former Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill died (1965), that the American serial killer Ted Bundy was electrocuted (1989), that Robert Baden-Powell organized the first Boy Scout troop in England (1908)…. but for Sandhya, wife of missing cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda, this is the day ‘happiness died’, forcing her on a quest for answers that has proved to be as arduous as it has been heartbreaking.
Identity cards in Sinhala, Tamil soon
The relevant authorities are taking a policy decision to include both Sinhala and Tamil languages in the identity card, Deputy Solicitor General Viraj Dayaratne informed the Supreme Court.
The fundamental rights petition filed by A.P. Dananjaya Gamage cited Registration of Persons Commissioner General R.N.S. Sarath Kumara, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara and the Attorney General as respondents.
by
N Sathiya Moorthy
It takes two to tango, and come September, Sri Lanka will see which way they will go. To be precise, which way one will lead the other – or, who between the two will lead the other, where and how!
In September, the promised elections to the Northern Provincial Council are due. So is one more round of UNHRC session in Geneva. If elections are conducted, and are free and fair (read: TNA wins?), then Geneva will lose its charm to many.
The global reservations to the Commonwealth Summit in November could also lose some more of its steam.
A ‘Tamil government’ in the North, independent of the political colour, could lead to the current international discourse to Sri Lanka’s ‘national problem’ re-focussing on political issues and a political solution, where it should still belong. ‘Accountability issues’ could get pushed to the background.
The Bishop of Galle has denied making comments about the Bodu Bala Sena or calling the organisation ‘Buddhist Taliban’ operating in Sri Lanka.
Colombo (Agenzia Fides) – The group of Buddhist fundamentalist monks, extremist and violent seriously concern civil society and religious minorities.
This is ‘the alarm sent to Fides Agency by His Exc. Mgr. Raymond Wickramasinghe, Bishop of Galle, in southern Sri Lanka, expressing his fears for what happens in the country: it is the phenomenon of the so-called “Buddhist Taliban” – as they have been defined by the press – who have launched a wave of violence against religious minorities, Muslim and Christian. The group, reported for acts of intolerance is the “Bodu Bala Sana” (BBS, “Force of Buddhist power “), but it is not the only kind of movement that exists.
By
M.A.Sumanthiran M.P.
The opening of the Mattala Rajapaksa International airport in Sri Lanka has been hailed by representatives of the Sri Lankan government as a significant boost to Sri Lanka’s economic development. In keeping with the priority the government clearly seems to be placing in the last few years, on large scale development projects, environmental and even economic concerns about the airport have been summarily dismissed by the unwavering government claim that the Mattala airport opens a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s economic development.
The Tamil National Alliance has repeatedly raised concerns regarding the ‘development’ policy of the government in the North and East. Government boasts of new roads, bridges and culverts in the North and East have done little to ease the desperate needs of those who live there – basic needs such as a return to their lands and property which they are still prevented from occupying, housing with proper facilities, and proper nutrition. These are needs that the government seems determined to ignore.
By Dr Devanesan Nesiah
President Lyndon Johnson ranked the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as the most important legislative achievement of his career – even more important than the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The latter was drafted under the direction of President John Kennedy, but was pushed through after his assassination by President Johnson. Both legislations were products of the Civil Rights Movement that gained momentum in the 1950s and dominated US politics for two or three decades. The Civil Rights Act redefined the relationships and sought to level the playing field between men and women and between different races of the USA. It introduced reverse discrimination (which it termed affirmative action) as a matter of national policy and outlawed racial segregation which was the norm, de facto and de jure, in many states especially in the South.
Why did President Johnson rank the Voting Rights Act above the Civil Rights Act?
By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
pic via: facebook.com/reno.azath
Former Colombo Deputy Mayor and Founder leader of the National United Front(NUF) Azath Salley has been hospitalised by the Police after he collapsed during interrogation at the Police CID headquarters 4th floor. He was taken to the hospital at about 5 pm on Friday May 3rd and is now receiving treatment under heavy Police guard at ward 55 of Colombo National hospital.
via: facebook.com/DavidCameron
By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Calls on Mr Cameron to boycott the event risked an embarrassing split with Buckingham Palace, had the Queen travelled to the meeting as the Commonwealth’s head.
The organisation decided at its last meeting two years ago to hold the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in Sri Lanka this year but many states have since been dismayed by Sri Lanka’s failure to heed calls for reform.
Continue reading ‘British PM David Cameron Will Criticise Sri Lanka Human Rights Record Openly at Commomwealth Summit in November’ »
Mangala Samaraweera M.P.
by
Mangala Samaraweera M.P.
We were gravely disturbed to learn of the arrest of former Deputy mayor of Colombo and Muslim Tamil National Alliance leader Azath Salley by the CID on May 2nd 2013.
This is yet another blatant manifestation of the depths to which the rule of law has sunk in this country and further proof that even as the Government prepares to host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in a few months, it is simultaneously taking steps to suppress dissent and victimise political opponents in a manner that runs directly contrary to the fundamental tenets of democracy.
By
Chamitha Kuruppu
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran asserts it is unnecessary to deploy 150,000 soldiers in the Northern Province. According to Premachandran, of the 200,000 Army personnel in Sri Lanka, 150,000 are stationed in the north. “Let the Government have any amount of Army personnel they want, but please withdraw them from north and take them to Hambantota.”
He stresses that the military in north is functioning as a political unit for the Government. “They want to suppress the Tamil people. They want to keep them under threat.” Premachandran further points out that “killing more than 150,000 innocent civilians is not a triumph” and is not the way to eliminate terrorism.
By
Dharisha Bastians
Top economist Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy has been appointed Consultant to the Government to work on substantive issues on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Colombo in November this year.
by
Andrew Bennet
May 3, 2013 – Andrew Bennett, Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom, today issued the following statement:
Andrew Bennett-Canada’s Ambassador for Religious Freedom
“Canada condemns the arrest of Azad Sally, leader of Sri Lanka’s newly formed Muslim Tamil National Alliance. Mr. Sally was reportedly taken into custody by Sri Lankan authorities on May 2.
By
Karu Jayasuriya M.P.
It is in the strongest possible terms that the arrest of former UNP Deputy Mayor Azath Salley must be condemned by all right thinking peoples of this country. His arrest – for allegedly inciting communal hatred under the prevention of terrorism act, is further proof that the Government continues to retain these repressive war time laws to hunt political opponents in peace time.
Mr. Salley’s arrest must not come as a surprise to any observer who has been witnessing the dismal levels to which law enforcement in this country has descended. Mr. Salley’s offence has been to warn of the dire consequences this country could —face if hate campaigns against a single community continue to grow.
by
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
The United Peoples Freedom Alliance(UPFA) Government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is planning to reduce the terms of office of the Executive President and Chief Justice as well as restricting the powers of Provincial Councils.
1st family New Year Celebrations, Tangalle, Sri Lanka~April 2013
It is learnt that the Govt is currently engaged in drafting the required amendments to the present Constitution.
Although the Govt is keen to make all Constitutional changes through a single Amendment with multiple clauses there may be two separate amendments if necessary depending upon legal advice.
Continue reading ‘Govt Drafting New Constitutional Amendment to Reduce Office Terms of President and Chief Justice and Dilute Provincial Council Powers’ »
(Text of Press Release Issued by Amnesty International Over Arrest of Azath M.Salley by the Police in Sri Lanka)
A prominent Muslim politician and government critic arrested today in Sri Lanka must be immediately released or charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offence, Amnesty International said.
Azad Sally, the leader of Sri Lanka’s newly formed Muslim Tamil National Alliance, was reportedly taken into custody on Thursday morning by the intelligence services for unknown reasons.
To whom it may concern,
Attached is a copy of my affidavit filed in an appeal made on behalf of Mr. M Azath M Sally to the Supreme Court in Sri Lanka.
Azath was taken into custody under the PTA and the police stated that according to a news item Azath has addressed a meeting provoking Muslims to rise up, directed them to armed struggle and seek support for such activity in India.
By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Former Deputy mayor of Colombo and founder leader of the National United Front (NUF) Azath Salley was taken into custody by the Police in the morning of Thursday May 2nd 2013.
pic via ~ facebook.com/mazathssalley
The outspoken Muslim politician was taken away from the residence of a relative in Kolonnawa by a team of Police personnel comprising the Criminal Investigation Dept and Terrorism Investigation dept. Salley had been keeping away from his own house and staying elsewhere to avoid being arrested.
Duminda Silva MP and President Mahinda Rajapaksa
by
Tisaranee Gunasekara
“We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men”: George Orwell (The Adelphi – January 1939)
On January 2nd, 2006, five students were murdered in the Town of Trincomalee. The government initially claimed that these were LTTE cadres who died when the bomb they were carrying exploded, prematurely. The cover-up backfired unexpectedly, when a courageous Judicial Medical Officer revealed that the five young men had been shot to death, execution-style. Forced to acknowledge the crime, the regime resorted to subverting justice; judges were transferred, witnesses intimidated and victims’ families harassed. The case was shifted to a court in another province, and allowed to die.
Gen. Sarath Fonseka was the Army Commander, and a member of the de-facto ruling triumvirate, when the Trincomalee murders happened. Indubitably he would have known of the plan to subvert justice and save the Trincomalee-murderers. Equally indubitably he would have seen nothing wrong with that exercise in impunity, because the victims were Tamils and the suspects were men in uniform .
Four years later it was his turn. On 8th February 2010, the military police and the army raided Gen. Fonseka’s political office, assaulted and handcuffed their former commander and dragged him away to incarceration like a common criminal – or terrorist – suspect.
By Alan Strathern Oxford University
Of all the moral precepts instilled in Buddhist monks the promise not to kill comes first, and the principle of non-violence is arguably more central to Buddhism than any other major religion. So why have monks been using hate speech against Muslims and joining mobs that have left dozens dead?
This is happening in two countries separated by well over 1,000 miles of Indian Ocean – Burma and Sri Lanka. It is puzzling because neither country is facing an Islamist militant threat. Muslims in both places are a generally peaceable and small minority.
In Sri Lanka, the issue of halal slaughter has been a flashpoint. Led by monks, members of the Bodu Bala Sena – the Buddhist Brigade – hold rallies, call for direct action and the boycotting of Muslim businesses, and rail against the size of Muslim families.
Continue reading ‘Why are Buddhist Monks Attacking Muslims in Burma and Sri Lanka?’ »
by
Harim Peiris
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been publicly reiterating and recommitting himself to finally holding the long delayed and often postponed Northern Provincial Council (NPC) elections in September this year, almost four and half years after the war ended in May 2009.
Thereafter despite presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections, in 2010 and 2011, various excuses were contrived and trotted out to postpone the holding of the Northern Provincial Council elections, an election the regime is almost guaranteed to lose to the TNA, if even a semblance of a reasonably fair and free election is held.
One of the biggest insults a government can deliver to another — the diplomatic equivalent of a slap in the face — is for the leader of one country to refuse to attend a high profile gathering hosted by another. Well, Canada has just slapped Sri Lanka.
Canadian Foreign Minister Baird greets Tamil protesters outside CMAG-pic courtesy of: twitter.com/SLCampaign
Late last week in London, Foreign Minister John Baird denounced a decision by his Commonwealth counterparts to approve Sri Lanka hosting the organization’s heads of government meeting in November. The Commonwealth, he said, was “accommodating evil” in agreeing to stage the meeting in the South Asian country despite strong criticism of its human rights record.
Continue reading ‘Canada Delivers Diplomatic Equivalent of a Slap in the Face to Sri Lanka -Ottawa Citizen’ »
by
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
It was not surprising to find yesterday, thousands of ‘electrocuted’ (and duped) Sri Lankans jubilantly assembling at various rallying points to celebrate International Labour Day. Not surprising, because Sri Lankans have been demonstrating unfailing loyalty to the war-winning regime, irrespective of the regular price escalations, the latest being the debilitating electric shock that came as a post-Avurudu bonanza.
The annual convergence of the people generally takes place in the name of the working class and their perennial struggles, but Colombo yesterday showed a marked difference.
By
Dharisha Bastians
In what feels like a repeat of Geneva 2012, behind-the-scenes manoeuvring by New Delhi may have tipped the scales in Sri Lanka’s favour in London last week, where the Commonwealth’s most powerful grouping decided an eleventh-hour venue shift of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet was simply not an option.
In exchange, will the Rajapaksa administration pursue engagement with the country’s main Tamil party on power devolution and conduct a poll in the Northern Province by September 2013? Or is India setting itself up for disappointment again?
(Amnesty International (AI) has issued a news release today (may 1st 2013), one day after publishing its report about “Assault on Dissent” in Sri Lanka.Today’s release gives specific examples of continuing violations of human rights, and then puts these in the context of the CHOGM that is still scheduled, despite these continuing issues of human rights, to take place in Sri Lanka in November)
As Sri Lanka gears up to host a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in November, testimony from torture survivors, and the absence of justice in their cases, challenge government claims to making human rights progress
“I was burnt all over my body with cigarettes,” said Kumar. “I was also kicked all over the body. They kept me in a dark cell with no windows, where I had to sleep on the floor.”
Story and pix by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai
Heavy leather drums
Parai is an ancient percussion instrument that was played at temple festivals and funerals. In the bygone era, it was used as a tool for making public announcements during special occasions. The artistes from Kanakaraayankulam in Vavuniya North and Mulliyawalai in Mullaithivu District have preserved this particular art form for over seven generations with great care.
Continue reading ‘‘Parai’: Keeping Alive the Tamil Leather Drum Tradition Despite War and Displacement’ »
By
Upul Joseph Fernando
Just a few days before the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) was scheduled to meet for business, President Mahinda Rajapaksa made a special announcement regarding the much touted election for the Northern Provincial Council. He categorically stated that the election will be held in September and his astrologers are working on the auspicious dates for it.
Bodu Bala Sena Rally in Kandy
By
Vishnuguptha
“I never will, by any word or act, bow to the shrine of intolerance or admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others.” ~ Thomas Jefferson
The intentions, methodologies and strategies of the Bodhu Bala Sena (Army of Buddhist Power) have so far been most unBuddhistic and bordering on the pagan and archaic. Their obvious intolerance and the crudest way they show it on village squares and town-halls, trashing other religions and their faithful devotees sometimes spill over the banks of decency and civility, a verbal diarrhea discharged at the whims and fancies of Buddhist fundamentalists preaching a new kind of ‘oriental jihad’, as some pundit said.
If they ever have any care for the people whom they claim to represent, they must change course and they must do it now. When Karl Marx proclaimed that religion is the opium of man, he basically referred to the eighteenth century Europe dominated by Christianity, certainly not to Buddhism which was always known to be a religion based more on free-thinking and realistic evaluation of things mundane and material. In fact, some of the modern Buddhist academics still contend that Siddhartha Gautama was the first materialist in history, equating Buddhism to materialism in every which way they could.
Continue reading ‘Intentions, Methodologies and Strategies of Bodhu Bala Sena (Army of Buddhist Power) are UnBuddhistic Bordering on the Pagan and Archaic’ »
By
Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne
The grip of the ruler based on Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism is breaking down. It is thanks to this grip which subdued the Sinhala petty bourgeoisie, that Keheliya Rambukwella the government spokesman, could ignore the fact that parliamentarians pay just Rs.2000/- per month for electricity in their free official residences and intimidates the poor.
He has said “People expected to eat without paying for it…. People expected everything free. They ask for subsidies for everything. When the country has to be taken forward we cannot tolerate people who ask for subsidies.”
With the grip breaking down, Mahinda has more cause for concern about the SLFP than about the Opposition. The party which serves as the necessary vehicle for the regime of Mahinda with his dictatorial project was founded not by the Rajapaksas but by the Bandaranaikes. SWRD was a liberal who approached the Sinhala petty bourgeoisie with a nationalist project mixed with social welfare. Then he joined with left socialist elements such as Philip, TB and others to construct the popular front, MEP. Left socialist cover concealed the Sinhala chauvinist militancy within the front; but it revealed its power in the 1957 communal riots.
By
The Puppeteer
The only monkey wrench cast into the cogwheels of the Rally For Unity, was the circulation of leaflets opposing the highly publicised event. The leaflets contained the usual rhetoric, claiming that the organisers were traitors and that their facelessness should be of critical concern.
pic: Azeem Ameen~courtesy of: twitter.com/Azeem_3A
Only the organisers weren’t faceless. Sure, they weren’t one body but a group of different individuals, but that makes it far better.
On the 1st of May workers around the world commemorate the struggles to win their rights and highlight the need to strengthen the rights of all workers in the capitalist economic paradigm that prevails. In Sri Lanka Trade Unions, Political Parties, Community based Organisations will also celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1st this year with widespread publicly demands for better working conditions for all workers.
This year, Sri Lankan Trade Unions are planning to highlight the Rights of Women Workers as part of the issues that will be raised in the workers’ rallies on May 1st. A number of Trade Union women members will be raising banners and placards focusing on women workers’ rights in Sri Lanka.
by
Kamaya Jayatissa
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains,
but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”–
Nelson Mandela
It is often the case that a nation which experienced a protracted war will tend to look forward rather than backward. For Sri Lankans, over the years, the war became a part of their lives, and survival a part of their routine. In such a context, healing becomes a lengthy and culturally-bound process. Though some may find it difficult to achieve, such process cannot be understated or underestimated when it comes to building a deeper unity, thus a sustainable peace for Sri Lanka. But how many of us really took the time and space to actually forgive and heal from a war that scattered a whole nation for over three decades, leaving behind scars that are still visible from the outside. How many of us actually grasped the opportunity to make a change?
Last Sunday, April 28th, marked a turning point in building such unity when a “voluntary movement of concerned Sri Lankans from various institutions, professions and industries” organized ‘Rally for Unity – Hate has no place in Sri Lanka’, a non-partisan anti-racism march for the promotion of ethno-religious harmony. Hundreds of people gathered for the occasion near the Nelum Pokona, in Colombo, irrespective of their political affiliation, ethnicity or religion. Holding banners in all three languages they began a peaceful protest, which in only two hours, brought together protestors from various backgrounds and affiliations. From politicians to members of the Clergy or diverse faiths, from students to civic society; they all gathered as one.
The Sri Lankan government is intensifying its crackdown on critics through threats, harassment, imprisonment and violent attacks, Amnesty International said in a new report released today.
The 78 page report, Assault on Dissent reveals how the government, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is promoting an official attitude that equates criticism with ‘treason’ in a bid to tighten its grip on power.
By
Shamindra Ferdinando
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran yesterday defended campaigning in London against Sri Lanka hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo later this year. The TNA wanted the venue shifted to a suitable venue regardless of a previous decision to allow Sri Lanka to host the meeting.
National List MP Sumanthiran faulted the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) for giving Sri Lanka the honour of hosting the summit in spite of the government violating Commonwealth doctrine, including Latimar House principles that dealt with the judiciary of member states.The MP was responding to government accusations that he along with Dr. Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu, overall Coordinator of programmes conducted by Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), made representations in London against the government.
By
S.L. Gunasekara
Vasudeva Nannayakkara was, for many years, known and looked upon as a ‘paper revolutionary’ who was ever willing to join in any ‘verbal’ attack on a Government in power.
He is, today, an ‘acolyte’/‘hanger on’ of the Rajapaksa family and hence comfortably ensconced in office [at great expense to our long suffering people] as one of that unbelievably large assembly of invertebrate incompetents known as the Cabinet of Ministers.
Even he, however, could not deny the ever-growing scourge of thuggery that is rapidly and inexorably enveloping the country. His purported ‘solution’ to this problem, believe it or not, is to enact legislation to ban what he terms ‘extremist’ parties and prohibit what he terms ‘hate speech’.
By
Kumbhakarna
T. S. Eliot wrote his celebrated poem ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ in 1917, thirty two years before Ranil Wickremesinghe was born. Therefore, it’s hardly correct to assume that Eliot based his Prufrock poem on Ranil. But, when you read through this long but delightful satirical poem, you can’t help noticing an uncanny resemblance. I don’t wish here to keep contributing to that miserable sport of lampooning Ranil (as Mr. Bean, etc). But the very fact that I suddenly thought of Sri Lanka’s unlucky Opposition Leader while reading Eliot’s poem shows how this kind of thing can work itself into the subconscious. It works like advertising, compelling you to think of a product not independently but according to advertising stereotypes.
And so it is with politics. Many journalists who normally hate each other, both left-wing and right wing, get together when they want some target practice. Their favourite target is Ranil Wickremesinghe. This criticism can differ in some detail. The left hates him for being classy and arrogant. The right hates him being not nationalist (or chauvinist) enough. Both sides hate him for not being the kind of macho, manly street fighter they believe to be the right man to lead Sri Lanka, unafraid of anything not just on earth but even beyond the Milky Way – the kind of insolent juggernaut who can roll over public opinion (which hardly matters), international opinion, The United Nations, the EU, the Indian government, the United States, the IMF, the Commonwealth – you name it.
By
WOMEN’S ACTION NETWORK
Muslims and Tamils have returned to the North having experienced immense loss and struggles over the last 30 years. Post-2009 Muslims and Tamils have begun returning to Mullaiteevu and resettlement has been taking place slowly. However the numbers that are attempting to and have returned is much higher than the number displaced 30 years ago. Therefore the land allocated has been insufficient for these communities to resettle. The situation is further complicated by the loss of land documentation and land disputes.
Through various sources Women’s Action Network (WAN) has also learnt of continuous political intervention in allocation of land, resources and aid, while there is a clear perception of discrimination and antipathy among both the Tamil and Muslim communities. Due to these interventions there is a fear that ethnic tensions between the two communities in Mullaiteevu may intensify. A fact finding mission comprising of activists from Mannar, Trincomalee, Jaffna and Puttalam is undertaken within this context.
The fact finding team interviewed returning Muslim and Tamil communities in Mulliyawalai and government officials. This report reflects their concerns and propositions.
Continue reading ‘Fact finding report on the recent tensions between Muslims and Tamils in Mulliyawalai’ »
By
D.B.S.JEYARAJ
Jeyaraj & Sudarshini Fernandopulle
Explosions at the iconic Boston Marathon Event in the USA has sent shock waves causing the Western media to focus intensively on the global phenomenon described as terrorism. In Sri Lanka there was a feeling of Déjà vu as the Island nation had also experienced bomb blasts at a Marathon event five years ago.
It was on April 6th 2008 that a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) targeted a marathon race event at Weliveriya in the Gampaha district of Sri Lanka killing fifteen people and injuring over ninety others. The Boston blasts resulted in three deaths.260 were injured of whom 15 lost limbs.It was this overt similiarity of a marathon race event being targeted in the USA that evoked sentiments of a common experience in Sri Lanka.
There are however some differences between both explosions. In Sri Lanka it was a lone suicide bomber who exploded himself whereas in the US two brothers were involved in placing and triggering off the bombs. In the US the explosions occurred at the conclusion of the race while in Sri Lanka it happened just prior to the commencement of the Marathon. Also while the number of deaths in Sri Lanka was more the injuries were less than that of the USA.
Crucially important difference between both instances were in the nature and objectives of the perpetrators. In Sri Lanka the attack was identified as the handiwork of the then powerful LTTE whereas in the US there is little evidence as of now to indicate whether those responsible are part of an organizational network or not.
Continue reading ‘Bombing at Boston Marathon Event Evokes Memories Of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle’ »
By
M.A.Sumanthiran M.P
Last week saw a hugely dangerous move by the government. Section 2 notices under the Land Acquisition Act were pasted on trees in Valikamam North in the Jaffna Peninsula indicating that an extent of approximately 6,400 acres of private lands belonging to several thousand Tamil people would be acquired for Military cantonments.
Strangley, the notice says that the claimants are not traceable! The owners of these lands live just outside the so called illegal High Security Zone, in camps maintained by the government itself. They have lived there for over 25 years. And although their title to these lands were checked and cleared by a Committee appointed by the Supreme Court in 2006, they were not permitted to go and resettle on the false assertion that de-mining was not complete.
That it is false is demonstrated by the sight of soldiers cultivating these lands from which the owners were kept away. Now suddenly, the government has shown its true face: these lands will be taken and given to others to occupy, who will become voters in the North. Similar notices have been issued in the Kilinochchi Distrct also. In the Eastern Province, instructions have gone out to acquire all the land that the military deems necessary for its purposes.
Continue reading ‘6400 Acres of Private Lands Belonging to Tamil People in Valikamam North to be Acquired by Govt for Military Cantonments’ »
By
Rajavarothayam Sampanthan M.P.
Tamil National Alliance Leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan making his speech-picture by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai ©
(Text of Introductory Speech made by Tamil National Alliance Leader and Trincomalee District MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan at the S.J.V.Chelvanayagam memorial lecture Event held in Colombo on April 27th 2013)
Mr. SJV Chelvanayagam QC was the founder leader of the Federal Party and the undisputed leader of the Tamil people.We welcome all those who have come here.
The Theme of the lecture today is ‘ Whither the Sri Lankan Tamils’.The theme would signify the uncertainty that prevails in regard to the future of the Sri Lankan Tamil people. The future is clearly challenging.
The lecture will be delivered by Mr.Justice C.V.Vigneswaran, Retired Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Mr. Vigneswaran is known for his impeccable integrity and resolute independence. That is probably the reason why the organizers have chosen him to deliver this year’s memorial lecture.
Determined efforts are being made to distort and rewrite the history of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. The Tamil people are resolutely determined to resist this onslaught. It is our firm belief that injustice can never defeat the determined will of a people.
I would in my introduction outline some of the salient features that characterized Mr. Chelvanayagam’s political career and which constituted the bedrock of his political activity.(dbsjeyaraj.com)
Continue reading ‘No Dissension Within TNA on any Matter Pertaining to the Future of the Tamil People’ »
by
Tisaranee Gunasekara
pic courtesy: tamilwin
“I think we are blind….. Blind people who can see, but do not see” ~ Jose Saramago (Blindness)
Miracles happen in the ‘Wonder of Asia’.
Last week, the lawyers representing Parliamentarian Duminda Silva – on the basis of multiple diagnoses by eminent physicians – assured a court of law that their client was a grievously sick man. The judge was told that Mr. Silva’s left side was paralysed, his brain function down by 40% and his recovery contingent on immediate quite retirement into the bosom of his loving family.
The AG’s Department – as much of a Presidential appendage as the post-Impeachment Supreme Court – had no objections to bail. Thus persuaded, the judge gave bail to this key suspect in the Kolonnawa quadruple-murder case.
Then the miracle happened.
Continue reading ‘The ‘Miraculous’ Recovery of Duminda Silva in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ‘Wonder of Asia’’ »
By
Wasantha Ramanayake
Parliamentarian Duminda Silva returned to public life yesterday after spending 17 months in hospitals in Singapore and Colombo.
Mr. Silva is the eleventh accused in the Mulleriyawa shooting incident where Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and three others were killed.
Last morning Mr. Silva left the private hospital in which he stayed since he arrived in the country on March 5. He was discharged from the hospital following the Colombo High Court order to release him on Wednesday.The accused parliamentarian with his hair fully grown looked different from the pictures of a bald headed man with stitches, shown recently in the media.
by
A staff reporter
Hirunika Premachandra
Hirunika Premachandra, daughter of slain politician, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, said yesterday the President should provide a solution to the ‘Duminda Silva situation,’ and complained, “the man who destroyed four families has now gone to meet the President.”
Hirunika, addressing the media after United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Duminda Silva – a suspect in the murder of her father – was released on bail and discharged from the hospital yesterday, said international claims of human rights violations in Sri Lanka “must have some truth in them, if such situations are allowed by the law.”
“The man who destroyed four families has now gone to meet the President.
Continue reading ‘“The Man Who Destroyed Four Families Has Now Gone To Meet The President.” -Hirunika Premachandra About Duminda Silva’ »
Dear Friends,
Given the recent spate of hate speech and the marginalization of minority communities in general in Sri Lanka, a voluntary movement of concerned Sri Lankans from various institutions, professions and industries are organizing a series of non-partisan, non-violent awareness campaigns and rallies against racist actions and hate-speech in Sri Lanka.
Attached for your information is a brief as evidence for the growing concern which had led to the creation of this initiative.
Continue reading ‘“Hate has no Place in Sri Lanka”-28th April Rally for Unity’ »
By
Justice C.V. Wigneswaran
(Text of THANTHAI CHELVANAYAGAM MEMORIAL LECTURE on the Theme ‘WHITHER SRI LANKAN TAMILS’ Delivered on 26/04/2013 FRIDAY at NEW KATHIRESAN HALL, GALLE ROAD, BAMBALAPITIYA COLOMBO 4 to mark the 36th death anniversary of S.J.V.Chelvanayagam, Q.C)
Justice C.V. Wigneswaran lighting the oil lamp~picture by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai ©
Ajnaana Timiraamdhasya Gnaanaanjana Shalaakayaa
Chakshuru Miilitam Yena Tasmai Shrii Gurave Namah
Honourable Chairman, Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Honourable Parliamentarians, my dear Brothers and Sisters!
Recently, I was called upon on different occasions to address different groups of the legal fraternity. The present period, as you know, is the most perilous in the history of our justice system, and to date the crisis remains unresolved. The future of an independent judicial system seems bleak, and despite the immense courage shown by some of its members, the community seems to feel despondent and desolate.
Delivering an Oration on the topic of “Whither Sri Lankan Tamils?” today, I address a community that is in an exponentially worse situation. The precarious position in which the Tamil speaking community is placed today is highlighted by the aftermath of my recent speeches.
Continue reading ‘Before Dealing With “Whither Sri Lankan Tamils” Let Me Start With “Whence Sri Lankan Tamils”’ »
By
Dharisha Bastians
In a major breakthrough Sri Lanka yesterday cleared what is likely the last diplomatic hurdle on its journey to playing host at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet in November this yearThis was after the grouping’s Ministerial Action Group concluded its key meeting in London yesterday signalling no move to put the country on notice or shift the summit venue from Colombo.
It is learned that in the issue pertaining to Sri Lanka as next hosts of CHOGM the CMAG had decided it did not have a mandate to decide on the summit venue.
By
Dharisha Bastians
Sri Lanka is likely to feature during a meeting of the Commonwealth’s most powerful eight-member body in London today, with Canada hinting it is seeking a shift in the venue and Tamil Nadu political parties, international lawyers grouping and human rights activists lobbying against allowing Colombo to host a key Commonwealth summit in November.
The Government has consistently denied that Sri Lanka would feature on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) 26 April meet, which will be chaired by Bangladesh and includes Australia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Vananatu, Jamaica, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. Maldives is also a CMAG member but is currently suspended.
The Daily FT learns that while diplomatic overtures, especially between Colombo and Dhaka, have prevented Sri Lanka from being an official CMAG agenda item, the issue of Sri Lanka hosting this year’s summit and the country’s human rights record is likely to come up for discussion at the London meeting under ‘any other matters’.
By J. S. Tissainayagam
Sri Lanka, whose leaders are accused of committing war crimes against Tamils in the civil war that ended May 2009, and subverting democracy, is to host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November.
In the past the Commonwealth, the 54-member intergovernmental grouping of mostly Britain’s former colonies, has emphasised human rights and democracy as core principles and chastised member countries that violated them. Sri Lanka however has not been censured but rewarded: named as CHOGM’s next venue, it will automatically lead the organisation for the coming two years.
The international community is clearly concerned that if it takes too strong a line with Sri Lanka, it will simply slip into China’s sphere of influence, and so lose all ability to promote Commonwealth values. However, this view fundamentally misinterprets Sri Lanka’s relationship with both China and the Commonwealth.
by
Frances Harrison
When they decided to have a meeting at their party office in the north of the island, the four Sri Lankan MPs probably didn’t expect that it would start raining concrete boulders.
Before they knew it, a mob of about 60 people had surrounded the building. After half an hour of sustained assault, the roof broke and the elected representatives found themselves sheltering in the archways of the doors, as if it were an earthquake. All the while the police looked on, doing nothing. At the end, they caught a few of the attackers but quickly released them, including a man who turned out to be one of their colleagues in civilian clothes.
“This is not the first or second time this has happened,” said one of the MPs, “it happens all the time and this was just a month ago”.
by
Vishnuguptha
“It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world.”
~ Aristotle
The Government in general and the ruling family in particular, do not show any signs of learning any lesson from history. The local government elections concluded more than two and half years ago on July 23, 2011 and exactly twenty four years after the infamous ambush of thirteen armed soldiers at Thirunelveli, Jaffna and the riots that it ensued in the South of Sri Lanka, the Tamils of Jaffna once again passed a crushing verdict on the absurdity of naked chauvinism openly practiced by the first family and their cohorts in the Government of Sri Lanka.
After suffering one defeat after another at the international fora, after failing to prove their bona-fides regarding their commitment to the implementation of the Thirteenth Amendment to our Constitution, after making pledge after pledge to international leaders that a fair and just system of government would be put in place, after ensuring the sustenance of a ‘free and fair’ Press, the Government now seems to be desperate.
OTTAWA – Official Opposition New Democrats Paul Dewar (Ottawa Centre) and Rathika Sitsabaiesan (Scarborough—Rouge River) have launched a national campaign to pressure the Conservatives to fully boycott the Commonwealth meetings in Sri Lanka unless an independent and international investigation into alleged war crimes are accepted by the government of that country.
By
Tisaranee Gunasekara
“….the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think” ~ Tom Paine (Rights of Man)
In 2005 when he was nominated the SLFP’s Presidential candidate, Prime Minister Rajapaksa named his election manifesto Mahinda Chinthanaya (The Philosophy of Mahinda), after himself.
Within seven years, the Rajapaksas conquered the government, occupied the state and subdued the society.
With Basil Rajapaksa’s appointment as the National Organiser, the Siblings are set to breach the last frontier: the SLFP.
If Ranil Wickremesinghe did not exist, the Rajapaksas would have had to create him. Since he does, and Sajith Premadasa is no better in terms of effectiveness, the Siblings do not have to be overly concerned about the UNP. The JVP is too busy waiting for its own Godot – another ‘Indo-Lanka Accord moment’ – to seize the socio-economic issues with requisite vigour.
Continue reading ‘Rajapaksas Keep an Economically-flagellated Majority and a Politically-persecuted Minority in Thrall’ »
A Tamil Named “Kumar” living in Australia has detailed shocking claims of rape and torture at the hands of Sri Lankan army intelligence to Australia Broadcasting Corporation.
Transcript of Telecast is as Follows:
Continue reading ‘Tamil in Australia Claims he was Raped and Tortured by Sri Lanka Army Intelligence’ »
(New York, April 25, 2013) – A senior Commonwealth advisory group should recommend the organization shift the venue of its November 2013 Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) from Sri Lanka unless the government makes prompt, measurable, and meaningful progress on human rights, Human Rights Watch said today.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), a grouping of Commonwealth leaders that addresses “serious or persistent violations” of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values, including human rights, will meet in London on April 26, 2013.
By
Christian Caryl
pic courtesy: foreignpolicy.com
The man’s body lies on a blanket striped in white and blue. He’s wearing a dark brown tank top and a dark blue flowered sarong. Someone has tied his hands behind his back with rope. There are deep red gashes on his head and shoulders — some of them presumably the wounds that ended his life.
The man in the photo is a Muslim. The people who killed him were almost certainly Buddhists. He was a victim in last fall’s sectarian bloodshed in western Burma, which pitted members of the two religions against each other. The image comes from a new report by Human Rights Watch that carefully documents the violence that took some 200 lives and resulted in the forced displacement of some 125,000 people. (A more recent wave of violence within the past few weeks has taken some 40 additional lives and triggered another surge of refugees.)
By
Karu Jayasuriya M.P.
Recent increase of electricity rates is unprecedented in Sri Lankan history. 75% or else 3.7 million of the electricity consumers use less than 90 units. This increase is unbearable to the low income groups and what action is taken by the government to mitigate this confusion? As they have been doing in the past, the government is trying to pass the blame on to the UNP. Yesterday it was reported in Dinamina, President has told the media chiefs that “We have to shoulder the burden of the mistakes committed during the UNP rule.
It is my duty to explain the truth as the former Minister of Power and Energy during the UNF government I called this press conference today for this purpose.
A large-scale tourism project has been launched by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) on an area of 1,100 hectares that belongs to 14 islands that are connected to the Puttalam Lagoon. The homes and livelihood of 2,640 fisher families, who live in the Grama Niladhari Divisions in the area, have come under increasing threat due to this project.
The human, social and massive environmental costs of the large-scale tourism development the government has rushed into in the Kaplitiya region may overshadow the envisaged gains from tourism, local fisher activists and environmentalists warn.
By
Dr.D.Gnanagurunathan
The debate about the ‘emergence’ or ‘re-emergence’ of India as an important player at the world stage goes on the one hand. On the other, the Indian state is confronted with a major challenge, as regions (provinces) are asserting their rights and able to influence the foreign policy discourse.
In addition, critics point out recent setbacks of Indian foreign policy in the Maldives and to a certain extent in Sri Lanka as signs of its non-arrival at the international arena since Indian foreign policy retains its primary focus on South Asia. Now, it is pertinent to investigate as to how India negotiates its foreign policy making challenges, especially towards its neighbour Sri Lanka.
Continue reading ‘India’s Vote Against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC was a Well-Calculated Decision’ »
By
Dr.Vickramabahu Karunaratne
Nobody expected this unbelievable increase in electricity charges. Hence there were protests everywhere including in clubs and associations limited to the industrialists and traders. However the tariff increases are friendly to the class separation indicating the departure from the social welfare ideology. Still, everybody feels that the government is putting the burden of their follies and misdoings on the people.
The Government claims that it took the hard decision to increase electricity tariffs to cover the losses incurred by the state-owned power generator. The Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board, sternly rejecting the accusation that electricity tariffs are increased to cover wastage, said the electricity generation through fuel combustion should be minimised in order to control the increase of electricity charges.
By
D.B.S.Jeyaraj
Rev.Fr.Mariyampillai Xavier Karunaratnam Known widely as “Kili Father”was Killed in a Landmine Explosion at Ambaikulam between Vavunikulam and Vannivilaankulam in the Wanni five years ago on April 20th 2008.
The following article was written by me for “The Nation”and Reproduced on “transcurrents”then.
I am posting the article without any changes to denote the fifth death anniversary of Kili Father>……………DBSJ
Claymore Kills “Kili Father” M.X. Karunaratnam at Ambaikulam
April 22nd, 2008
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
One more name was added last sunday to Sri Lanka’s growing list of Tamil Christian clergymen killed in the on going ethnic conflict.
The latest victim was the Catholic priest Rev.Fr Mariampillai Xavier Karunaratnam popularly known as “Kilifather” .He was killed in a claymore mine explosion on April 20th.
by
Upul Joseph Fernando
“Although it is not known yet who is responsible for Monday’s heinous bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three and injured more than 100 people, a source within the Iranian Intelligence Services told WND, the Islamic regime was behind them, and to look for trails through Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”
Colombo implicated
American website, World Net Daily, came up with this theory even before the Boston bombers were tracked down and caught. The American media pointing its finger at Sri Lanka in connection with Boston bombing should be considered as a matter of grave concern by the Government of Sri Lanka. In another previous instance, when the German bakery bomb explosion took place in Pune, the chief suspect in his confession, had revealed that the final operational plan was drawn up in Colombo. The charge sheet filed with the indictment of the main suspects carried the following statement:
By
Ananth Palakidnar
Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, has met former LTTE media head, V. Dayanithy alias Daya Master and 23 others in Jaffna over the Northern Provincial Council polls to be held later this year, informed sources said.
The meeting was held on Monday at the 52 Division Headquarters in Varani, where the Defence Secretary had a detailed discussion over the Northern Provincial polls and also on the possibilities of spearheading the political and the development activities through a possible UPFA-led Provincial Council, sources said. The meeting had also focused on the candidatures for the Northern Provincial polls where Rajapaksa had outlined that by contesting alone, the UPFA could work out its own strategies towards the development activities in the North, sources added.
By
Latheef Farook
CHECHENYA is yet another Muslim entity destroyed and rendered a wasteland in the two senseless Russian wars to subjugate the republic. Demonising and killing Chechen Muslims were popular pastimes for Russian leaders in order to win voters.
Going by historical records, war against Russia has been a regular unfortunate event for around a million
Chechens for centuries, usually in intervals of every fifty years, each conflict lasting between six to twenty-five years. Because of this almost ceaseless war and the sufferings it brought on the Chechen people, there exists a larger Chechen Diaspora in Turkey and Jordan than in their own republic.
Russia considers oil rich Chechenya as part of its territory, but Chechens, describing their struggle as a “war of liberation”, always claimed that they never voluntarily joined Russia, which conquered their territory by military force. All that the Chechens, known for their deep respect to elders and strong bond of friendship, wanted was independence or self rule to run their own affairs in keeping with their political and economic needs and religious traditions.
The latest tragedy struck when Chechenya declared its independence from Russia in November 1991.
Continue reading ‘Killing Fields of Chechnya: A Muslim Land Laid Waste by a Senseless War’ »
by
Sarah Kendzior
In 1901, a 28-year-old American named Leon Czolgosz assassinated US President William McKinley. Czolgosz was born in America, but he was of Polish descent. After McKinley died, the American media blamed Polish immigrants. They were outsiders, foreigners, with a suspicious religion – Catholicism – and strange last names.
At a time when Eastern European immigrants were treated as inferior, Polish-Americans feared they would be punished as a group for the terrible actions of an individual. “We feel the pain which this sad occurrence caused, not only in America, but throughout the whole world. All people are mourning, and it is caused by a maniac who is of our nationality,” a Polish-American newspaper wrote in an anguished editorial.
It is a sentiment reminiscent of what Muslims and Chechens are writing – or Instagramming – today, after the revelation that Dzokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, are of Chechen descent. At this time, there is no evidence linking the Tsarnaev brothers to a broader movement in Chechnya, a war-torn federal republic in southern Russia. Neither of the brothers has ever lived there. The oldest, Tamerlan, was born in Russia and moved to the US when he was sixteen. The youngest, Dzokhar, was born in Kyrgyzstan, moved to the US when he was nine, and became a US citizen in 2012.
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Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha M.P.
Once again, following the vote in Geneva, which made clear how influential the United States of America was, and how comparatively friendless we were, there is talk of re-establishing relations with the West. Thankfully this year it has not taken the form of denigration of good relations with others, as happened last year when those elements in the Ministry of External Affairs, which would have been described in the Cold War days as the running dogs of imperialism, danced on the graves of Dayan Jayatilleka and Tamara Kunanayagam.
This was profoundly ironic, for it was those two who had built up our friendships with other countries in the time honoured fashion that had brought us so much respect internationally in the days of Mrs Bandaranaike. At the same time they did this whilst commanding the respect of the West, as numerous cables in Wikileaks make clear. It was no coincidence then that two of our most sympathetic, if not uncritical, interlocutors from the West said to me in astonishment, after the vote, that we had made insufficient use of Tamara, who was clearly our best representative at Geneva.
by
DR DAYAN JAYATILLEKA
However bad Sri Lanka’s foreign policy is and external relations are, they have yet to hit the nadir that they did under President Jayewardene in the 1980s.
The first ever resolution on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka adopted in Geneva by the Human Rights Commission was in March 1987, while the first decision, which it ‘recalls’ in the resolution, was in March 1984, as was reported in the Lanka Guardian at the time (Vol 9, No 23, April 1 1987, p18).
This episode, which in a lead story in the same journal three months later was derided by its Editor as a “roasting”, has recently been disinterred and touted as nothing less than a model of professional diplomacy which should have been looked up to as a lodestar by Sri Lanka’s representatives in Geneva May 2009.
(Commemorating 20th death Anniversary of former National security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali)
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S. V. D Kesaralal Gunasekara
Lalith Athulathmudali
People keep asking me why I continue to write about the late Mr. Athulathmudali two decades after his unfortunate and untimely demise.
The necessity to write invariably follows as a result of what is happening (or not happening) in the country. Very little seems to be moving in the right direction and there is a lot more to be done in each sector. The country seem to be facing crises one after the other and we do not seem to be having a National Plan. I recall, visiting India as a parliamentarian on its 50th Independence anniversary. On our request, the Indian government gave us an opportunity to meet the Head of the National Planning Commission.
Continue reading ‘If only the Country was Fortunate to Have a Statesman Such as Lalith Athulathmudali at a Time Like This’ »
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Col R Hariharan
pic courtesy of: facebook.com/nknewsorg
North Korea’s deployment of two additional short-range scud ballistic missile launchers in its eastern coast has strengthened speculations in the South that Pyongyang might launch a missile on April 25, the anniversary of North Korean army. According to South Korean media, the latest deployment was in addition to the seven mobile missile launchers already in place on the coast.
Coupled with the two Musudan intermediate range missiles already deployed at a place 180 km from the South Korean capital Seoul, has compelled South Korea and the U.S. to take the North Korean bluster a little more seriously. Although, South Korean’s Chief of National Security Kim Jang-soo had recently said DPRK was not capable of conducting a full-scale war on the Korean Peninsula he did not rule out localized ‘provocations.’
by
Karu Jayasuriya M.P.
It is reported in the media that the President Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated at a meeting with Media Chiefs, elections could be held under the Commissioner of Elections without an Elections Commission. An Elections Commission was established by the 17th Amendment which was passed in Parliament by 2/3 majority, to achieve certain goals which included restraining powers surrounding the Executive Presidency, establishment of a strong democracy and good governance.
17th Amendment was repealed by introducing the 18th Amendment, which was passed by 2/3 majority obtained by winning the Members of Parliament of the Opposition by offering various benefits and other devious methods, not by the mandate of the people.
by
Col R Hariharan
Muslim owned Bicycle Shop in Minhla, Bago, Myanmar being attacked and looted-in March 2013~via: twitter.com/nslwin
Myanmar’s fledgling democracy faced yet another obstacle to its progress when anti-Muslim violence flared up in Central Myanmar town of Meiktila in March 2013. It quickly spread to six other smaller townships in Thayawady district in Bago Region in Lower Myanmar.
According to Human Rights Watch, it also spread to 11 townships in Mandalay and Pegu divisions, where Muslim neighborhoods were ransacked.
Continue reading ‘Aung San Suu Kyi Reluctant to Take Action Affecting Majority Community During Anti-Muslim Communal Violence in Myanmar’ »
by Meera Srinivasan
Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-2013)~pic: courtesy: The Hindu Photo Libraray
It was one such harsh Madras summer. In the shade of the rich canopy on Venkatnarayana Road, a friend and I, both a little over 10 at that time, stood in eager anticipation.
With us was Lalgudi sir, clad in a sparkling white dhoti folded up to his knee and a white half-sleeve khadi shirt. He was carefully choosing mangoes ripe enough to eat the very same day. With him was his wife Rajalakshmi.
Continue reading ‘‘Lalgudi Sir’ The Incurable Romantic Who Was My Guru: A Personal Tribute to Violin Maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman’ »
By
Shalini Singh
In his 112-page written statement to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing the 2G scam, the former Telecom Minister and prime accused, A. Raja, has said he personally met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh several times between November 2007 and July 2008 — the period when the scam was perpetrated — to keep him informed of all 2G-related decisions, and the Prime Minister agreed with him.
On Page 72, while challenging the JPC’s draft report and the CBI’s allegations that Mr. Raja had “misled” the Prime Minister, he says: “This allegation has been made by the CBI without even recording the statement of the Hon’ble PM. On what basis do they say he was misled?
Continue reading ‘Former Telecom Minister A.Raja in 112 Page Statement Implicates Indian PM Manmohan Singh in Massive 2 G Spectrum Scam’ »
By
Marianne David
A blacktip reef shark among the coral reefs off Pigeon Island
With white sandy beaches and sparkling seas, magnificent whales and dancing dolphins, vibrant corals reefs in shallow waters, multi-hued schools of fish – including sharks, who glide by without a second glance – and the breathtaking secluded beauty of Pigeon Island, not forgetting its gorgeous setting, heritage and beauty, Trincomalee is a whole lot more than just another holiday place.
Continue reading ‘Whales, Dolphins, Sharks, Fish and Corals: Aquatic Adeventures in the Tranquil Blue Waters of Trincomalee’ »
Secretary Defence and Urban Developemt Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa during his visit to the Jaffna peninsula, was the chief guest at a function held to distribute school uniform packs to students in Varani today (22nd April).
pic: defence.lk
1500 school children received gift packs from Mr. Rajapaksa at the function organized by the 52 Division of the SLA.
Selected students from the schools located around the 10GW, 16GR and 10SLNG Army camps thus received the gifts. During the function 24 school principals, 100 teachers and parents also received gifts form the Secretary Defence.
The event had been organized in association with several businessmen namely Mr. Morris Zonders Jayathilake (Canadian), Mr. Robert Arunashantha, Mr. Ajith Senanayaka and Mr. Anura Pathirana.
Victoria Tkacheva
A woman raped at a hotel in Sri Lanka has spoken for the first time of the attack in which she was badly beaten and her British boyfriend was killed, the British Sunday Times reported today.
Victoria Tkacheva, 24, a Russian languages graduate, fears that the men responsible for her rape and the murder of Khuram Shaikh, a 32-year-old Red Cross worker from Rochdale, will not be brought to justice.
One of the eight suspects who were arrested but later released is a local politician whose family have close ties to the Sri Lankan president.
Continue reading ‘Russian Woman Raped at Tangalle by Rajapaksa Acolytes Speaks out Seeking Justice for her Murdered British Boyfriend’ »
By
Raisa Wickrematunge
The mother of a sick child at Lady Ridgeway Hospital says that she was asked to remove her ‘abaya’ (cloak) when she visited the hospital to see her child.
The mother, whose child was diagnosed with dengue fever, visited Lady Ridgeway Hospital on April 13 at around 9.30 p.m.
by
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
The much-opposed recent move to acquire forestland in three districts in the Northern Province for distribution among Muslim returnees and their extended families is now in full swing, with a total of 2,388 acres of prime forestland already for this purpose.
While local people and environmentalists continue to protest the land acquisition move – critiqued as a land distribution initiative on the basis of ethnicity by some – the government has strongly defended the action as one that seeks to correct a historical injustice committed against the many-times evicted Muslims of the North.
As things stand, a total of 2,388 acres in the Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya Districts are to be utilized for this purpose. Approximately, 1,080 acres in Mannar, 983 in Mullaitivu and 325 in Vavuniya Districts will be covered by this initiative.
by
C.A.Chandraprema
During the new year holidays, the International Bar Association put out a report titled “A Crisis of Legitimacy: The Impeachment of Chief Justice Bandaranayake and the Erosion of the Rule of Law in Sri Lanka”. It is important for bodies purporting to represent the legal profession not to convey the impression of being a kangaroo court lest it undermines the confidence of the people in the legal system.
People expect a certain clinical rigour from bodies made up of the legal fraternity. The International Bar Association (IBA) markets itself as “The Voice of the Global Legal Profession” (no less!). So the standards that we should expect of them should be even higher than what we would expect from legal bodies here.
Continue reading ‘International Bar Association Acts Like a “Kangaroo Court” in the Case of Sri Lanka’ »
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that elections to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) would be held in September this year but the date of the poll would be decided based on the advice of his astrologer.
“My astrologer gives me a winning time and I will decide on the basis on what he says,” the President said at a ceremony yesterday in Welioya to hand over deeds of Mahaweli lands to people in the area.
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JAYANTHA JAYAWEERA BSc Civil Eng (Lon), MIE (Aust), CPEng.
I have just returned from Sri Lanka after attending the Thurstan College and Isipathana College 50th big match encounter at SSC cricket grounds. I spent eleven memorable days in Colombo and Galle with my schoolmates of both schools, whom I met after some considerable time.
During my visit, I noticed a substantial improvement to road infrastructure largely thanks to Defence Secretary Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse’s vision for better roads for the future. I agree with the Defence Secretary’s courage to rebuild Colombo in line with other larger cities in the world.
In the past, Colombo was a well-planned city until R. Premadasa became the Prime Minister of the country. He changed the whole planning procedure that had existed within the City of Colombo since the times of the British Raj to accommodate his henchman and party supporters, and built unauthorised structures all over Colombo. He and his henchmen politicised the administration of the Town Hall and that legacy continued for 40 years until recently.
By
Tisaranee Gunasekara
“Despotic governments…..all follow the same logic”.
Umberto Eco (The Prague Cemetery)
Economic punches and developmental disappointments might have bruised and battered Mahinda Rajapaksa’s once enormous popularity among Sinhala masses. Yet a considerable part of it still endures. There is nothing outlandish about this; despotic leaders are usually popular, for a while, before the devastating costs of their rule become manifest. Vellupillai Pirapaharan was popular in his time.
Blessings to the President — in Kataragama, Sri Lanka-Apr 17, 2013
So was Adolf Hitler, until the Americans’ daylight carpet-bombing of German cities and the Red Army’s arrival on the borders of the Thousand Year Reich compelled ordinary Germans to realise the inevitability of a defeat on a Götterdämmerung scale.
Continue reading ‘Rajapaksa Economic Policies will Enrich the Rich,Pauperise the Poor and Make the Middle Classes Mired in Debt’ »
By
N. Sathiya Moorthy
It takes a lot of courage to say, ‘Sorry’. In these years after the end of the ‘ethnic wars’, neither the Sri Lankan State, nor the Tamil community said as much to each other – and to itself. In these months after international intervention, everyone is blaming everyone else, instead. They are doing nothing about it, either.
It was/is reasonable to expect the State to start the reconciliation process by the use of that simple yet powerful, single word. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had the occasion to do it in style and with sincerity when he declared the conclusion of war in Parliament, way back in May 2009. That was the national occasion as much for reconciliation as for feeling relieved about the end of LTTE terrorism.
by
Gamini Weerakoon
Placard at a Tamil Rally in NY
Fresh rustic breezes, whiff of delicacies from the Avurudhu table and nostalgic memories of the time spent in the gama in their salad days would have rejuvenated the patriotic fervor of those Sri Lankan patriots who were breathing fire and thunder before the New Year on protecting the sovereignty, integrity, unity of Sri Lanka.
Four quarrelsome years have passed since the bloody 30-year-war ended but after the end of the war has come not peace but fierce war of words. The nation is as polarized when the bloodletting was on. Many going on the premise that patriotism demands to be on the side of the government during an armed conflict or in a war of words, are solidly behind the Rajapaksa regime while a miniscule opposition is saying that justice has not been done to Tamils despite the settlement of a near 300,000 displaced persons in homes new as well as their own reconstructed, after de-mining etc.
via: facebook.com/BuddhistsQuestioningBoduBalaSena
It all started with a Facebook group titled ‘Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena’. A tense situation developed last Friday as members of this group gathered in front of the Buddhist Cultural Centre on Sambuddatva Jayanthi Mawatha. The people planned to hold a candlelight vigil in front of the building at 7 p.m. During the vigil, the gathering planned to chant stanzas from the Subashithaya, which deal with the concept of ‘Samma Vacha’ (translating as good/beneficial words) and a section of the national anthem.
It was meant to be a peaceful event, but it quickly spiraled into chaos.
Fifteen minutes before the vigil was even scheduled to start, police descended on the crowd and began abruptly detaining the people gathered.
Revati Laul ~ pic via: twitter.com/RevatiLaul
By
Revati Laul
(Disguised as a tourist, Revati Laul travelled through the country’s most war-ravaged districts. She spotlights a story that is rarely told)
The idea of a separate Tamil nation is not dead in Sri Lanka.
There was a time when this was espoused with brutal violence by the dreaded LTTE. That violence has been leached out now to be replaced by a kind of limitless — and perhaps more potent — despair. There are reasons why the idea of a separate Tamil nation refuses to die.
Continue reading ‘War May be Over but the Idea of a Separate Tamil Nation is not Dead in Sri Lanka’ »
By Lewis Garland
A year ago this week, on 20 April 2012, a 2,000-strong mob led by Buddhists monks stormed a mosque in Dambulla, central Sri Lanka, during Friday Prayers. They damaged both the building and property within it, including religious artefacts and texts.
The Mosque had already been fire-bombed the previous evening. The mob claimed that the Mosque was situated within a sacred Buddhist area and had been constructed illegally. The reality was that the Mosque, a small, corrugated iron structure reachable only via a narrow path, barely visible from the street, had been used by the local Muslim community for over half a century without question or incident.
Continue reading ‘Rise of Red-Robed Islamophobia in Sri Lanka: Series of High-profile Hate Campaigns Against Muslims and Their Practices’ »