by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Sinhala and Tamil are Constitutionally recognized as Official languages in Sri Lanka but there are many miles to go before Tamil achieves parity of status with Sinhala in the Island. While the necessary legislation for language equality exists on paper and has been accepted by all shades of political opinion in Sri …

Continue reading ‘Equality of Languages to be Enforced on Currency Notes and Pharmaceuticals’ »

By Jagath Gunawardana To many in Sri Lanka, bird watching denotes a long excursion to a far-off location to observe some unusual, illusive and rare birds. But, unknown by many is that all areas of the country, including busy and urbanized cities, still support a lot of wildlife, especially birds. This situation is even true …

Continue reading ‘Birdwatching in an Urban Environment is Possible’ »

By Pranay Sharma The Road To Antipathy -August 13: DMK-sponsored TESO conference in support of Tamil minority in Sri Lanka held in Chennai -Sept 2: AIADMK leader and state chief minister Jayalalitha ask Sri Lankan football teams to leave TN -September 3: Sri Lanka issues travel advisory, asks its nationals to stay away from Tamil …

Continue reading ‘Anti Sri Lanka Wave in Tamil Nadu is Born of New Political Compulsions’ »

by Dharisha Bastians On Friday (7) afternoon, the eve of provincial council elections in three provinces, a certain gathering took place at 101, Rosmead Place, which houses the corporate offices of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) National List Parliamentarian, Tiran Alles. Consultations that lasted for hours, took place between Alles and UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa …

Continue reading ‘Political pickles and quicksilver fortunes’ »

by Madhulika Gautama Sri Lankan artiste Ashanti has a string of sobriquets attached to her name. She is affectionately called the ‘Darling of Sri Lankan Music”; sometimes more formally “The Queen of Sri Lankan Hip Hop”. But none impress as much as her distinction of being the youngest and only female artiste from the island …

Continue reading ‘Ashanti: Darling of Sri Lankan Music Teams up with Benny Dayal to Give Peace a Chance’ »

By S.S. Selvanayagam The legal battle between Ceylon Biscuits Ltd, the manufacturer of the ‘Munchee’ brand of biscuits, and biscuit titan Maliban Biscuit Manufactories Ltd. has been amicably settled. The settlement was arrived at as the Defendant Maliban Biscuit Manufactories agreed to change its trade dress, which the Plaintiff Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. alleged had been …

Continue reading ‘‘Biscuit Battle’ Ends in Sri Lanka as Maliban and Munchee Reach Settlement in Court Case’ »

By M. S. Shah Jahan writing from Tamilnadu Is Tamilnadu hostile to Lankan visitors? No not at all! It is only a splinter group known as Eelamists do involve in such activities to gain publicity. Politically this group including the ardent Tiger supporter, Vaiko’s MDMK has no strength in the state even to save deposit …

Continue reading ‘Except for Eelamist Groups Tamilnadu on the Whole is not hostile to Lankan visitors!’ »

by C.N.Annadurai (Former Tamil Nadu Chief minister “Arignar” C.N.Annadurai, M.A. Delivered his first English Speech over the All India Radio on Bharathi:THE PEOPLE’S POET” in the Year 1948. The text of that speech is posted here to commemorate the 91st death anniversary of the bard on September 11th) Mandolin Instrumental ~ Bharathiyar Song ~ Kaaikkai …

Continue reading ‘Subramania Bharathiyar: The People’s Poet’ »

by Camelia Nathaniel Local election monitoring bodies Sunday ruled the Provincial Council Elections in the North Central, Eastern and Sabaragamuwa Provinces as neither free nor fair. Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) and the Network for Election Monitoring of Intellectuals for Human Rights (NEM-IHR), at the …

Continue reading ‘Three Provincial Elections Were not Free nor Fair Allege Election Monitors CAFFE,PAFFEREL and NEMIHR’ »

by Mahinda Rajapaksa (Text of address by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Colombo on September 11th 2012) As the current Vice Patron of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, I am pleased to welcome all delegates to this 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Colombo and honoured to address you on this occasion.

By Salma Yusuf Walking into the auditorium of Jaffna College Vaddukodai last week was not overwhelming as a sea of smiling faces came way. Rather, what instantly struck us was the effervescence that filled the air in a room of nearly 500 youth from all ethnic and religious communities, who had come together from the …

Continue reading ‘Future Leaders Conference at Jaffna College in Vaddukkoddai gave Northern Youth a sense of Dignity and Purpose’ »

Video Interviews from FUTA Citizen Channel Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri explaining why arbitration is unacceptable in resolving the issues regarding the FUTA trade union action and the main decisions of the FUTA executive committee meeting held on the 11th of September 2012:

by Leena Manimekalai One has no options but to be aghast of the fact that even after 64 years of Independence and a 30-year civil war, there is negligible devolution of power to the Tamils under a rigid unitary constitution of Sri Lanka. Even after the horrendous genocide committed by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, which …

Continue reading ‘Total Sri Lanka Boycott Call is very Glamorous and Sensational but Would Barely Affect Rajapaksa’ »

by Pritish Nandy Middle class India has few heroes. Once in a while we find someone. But even before he can settle in, we are disenchanted. Either he fails to live up to our high expectations after the first burst of success, like those guys who win crores on KBC and then vanish into the …

Continue reading ‘(Manmohan) Singh is not King any More’ »

By Gagani Weerakoon Aggrieved Sri Lankan Tamil parents, whose children have been forcibly taken away by Norwegian Child Welfare Authorities and placed in foster care, are planning to launch a hunger strike, taking their campaign for justice and to get back their children, to the next level and create a broader global awareness about the …

Continue reading ‘Children From 60 Tamil Families in Norway Taken Away by Authorities and Placed Under Foster Care’ »

by Col R Hariharan Chinese defence minister’s visit to Sri Lanka: an Indian perspective China’s Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie’s visited Sri Lanka for five days from August 29, 2012. The first-ever visit by a Chinese defence minister to Sri Lanka with an entourage of 23 members indicates the ever increasing Chinese interest in the …

Continue reading ‘India Must Upgrade its Relationship with Sri Lanka so That China Gets the Message’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Murali Harmony Cup Cricket Tournament in the North launched by Mahela and Sanga’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka: Noisily Divided House is Waking up its Neighbours’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘The Myth of a Rajapaksa Family of Supermen’ »

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, …

Continue reading ‘Travel Industry Feels Crunch of Govt Ban on Pilgrim Tours to 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.

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 …

Continue reading ‘Sri Lankan Immigration to Italy: Reflections and Anecdotes’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Repeating ‘Mantra’ That This is a ‘Sinhala Bauddha Rata’ is Particularly Hurtful to Minorities’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Elections Commissioner has Enormous Powers Vested in Him to Ensure Free and Fair Provincial Elections’ »

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, …

Continue reading ‘Munneswaram in Chilaw: Heritage of Ethno-Religious Harmony and Plural Worship’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Ranjana Thangaraja who Danced in the Carol Reed Film “Outcasts of the Islands”’ »

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 …

Continue reading ‘Tilak Jayaratne: Indomitable Broadcaster with a Stubborn Conscience’ »

By Ayesha Zuhair It was the most high-profile diplomatic gathering in Iran since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. As leaders from 120 non-aligned nations converged in Tehran for the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) they were defying calls from both the US and Israel to shun the event. It was a turning point …

Continue reading ‘Tehran NAM summit a Turning Point for Iran and all Third World Nations’ »

by Rajavarothayam Sampanthan (Text of letter sent by TNA leader R.Sampanthan to President Mahinda Rajapaksa) R.Sampanthan, Member of Parliament, Trincomalee. President, Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (I.T.A.K.) Parliamentary Group Leader, Tamil National Alliance (T.N.A.) 176, Customs Road, Trincomalee. 5th September 2012. His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapakse, President, Democratic Socialistic Republic of Sri Lanka, Presidential Secretariat, Colombo. …

Continue reading ‘Take Steps to Ensure a Genuine Free and Fair Election is held in the Eastern Province’ »

by Reemus Fernando Soldier Pradeep Sanjaya proved his coach Jansz Dissanayake’s prediction right, when he won the bronze medal in the T46 400 metres at the 2012 Paralympics in London on Wednesday, to become the country’s first Paralympics medalist. There were many doubters, when Jansz predicted that his unassuming protege would be a prospect at …

Continue reading ‘Pradeep Sanjaya Injured at Kilinochchi Wins First Paralympic Medal for Sri Lanka in London’ »

by Meena Kandasamy A visiting football team sends out the superficial message: all is well in Sri Lanka. It does not reveal that 4,000 university teachers have been striking for the past two months demanding better wages and greater spending on education, or that the government ordered the closure of all universities last week. It …

Continue reading ‘Jayalalithaa has Shown how far an Autonomous State could Offer Resistance Instead of Mutely Following the Dictates of the Central Government’ »

We the undersigned are aghast and anguished by the recent decision of the government of Tamil Nadu, acting on the Chief Minister’s orders, to send back two sports teams from Sri Lanka that were in Chennai to play matches against local school teams. Two days after the Chief Minister issued her orders, members of a …

Continue reading ‘Protesting the Forced Repatriation of Visiting Sports persons and Others from Sri Lanka’ »

By Chitra Weerarathne The Court of Appeal yesterday committed Cabinet Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to stand trial on Contempt of Court charges following his pleading not guilty. Trial was fixed for February 13, 2013. Bathiudeen has been charged on three counts. The first charge is telephoning Mannar Magistrate Anthony Judeson on July 17, 2012 and attempting …

Continue reading ‘Appeal Court Commits Minister Bathiudeen to stand trial charges of contempt of Court’ »

by Dr.M.A.Mohamed Saleem “You are with us or against us” and many other slogans President Bush used after 9/11 to force an alliance. In the forthcoming local elections, The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) position is better described as ‘with you and also against you.’ The SLMC joined the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) to …

Continue reading ‘Muslim Congress Assumes People can be Fooled All the Time’ »

by Kath Noble The government has been trumpeting its success in resettling IDPs to all and sundry of late. Hardly a week goes by without some reference to the official statistics, which indicate that at the end of July there were only 5,443 people remaining at Manik Farm, while another 7,329 were staying in welfare …

Continue reading ‘Neither Spread of Buddhism nor Entrenchment of Security Forces is Welcomed by The Population of Northern Province’ »

by Radhieka Peeris Prasanna Vithanage’s earliest memories of cinema stem from the time he was five years old. As a little boy he was excited to be treated to the movies by his parents, to watch both Sinhala and Hindi movies. Almost four decades later, he is able to remember storylines of each and every …

Continue reading ‘Prasanna Vithanage: Controversial Cinematic Journey of a Creative Rebel’ »

By Sarath Chandrajeewa The decision to award degrees for visual and performing arts was taken in 1974 as a result of a long struggle by the lecturers and art students. Some of today’s main universities were functioning as campuses of the University of Sri Lanka at that time.

By Liyanage Amarakeethi Last two months have been educational for me as, I am sure, they have been for all of you. During our trade union action last year, many of us in our generation, those of us who are mid-career academics in this university, learned from our seniors how to stand up for our …

Continue reading ‘Our Duty as Intellectuals is to Speak Truth to Power’ »

by Salma Yusuf A growing number of sports persons and organisations have sought to intervene in conflict zones to encourage reconciliation between estranged communities. The international community unanimously declared the year 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, serving as formal recognition of the added value of sport as a peace-building factor.

By Risidra Mendis The international demand for rare seashells, from Sri Lanka has resulted in a well-organized illegal export trade. Seashells though protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance (FFPO), face the threat of being wiped out due to this ongoing illegal export trade.

by Olympia Shilpa Gerald For Joseph from Chilaw in Puttalam district in North-West Sri Lanka, the yearly pilgrimage to India has always been a thanksgiving mission after being cured of sores that covered his body. It turned nightmarish this year.

by Sarath De Alwis September 5th is the 83rd Birth Anniversary of Mervyn de Silva) “The eagle landed softly on the moon. Now Mr.Nixon will land even more gently in Peking” wrote Mervyn De Silva on 22 July 1971 in the Ceylon Observer. Neil Armstrong passed away this month. The 83rd birth anniversary of Mervyn …

Continue reading ‘56 Years After ’56:Remembering Mervyn de Silva on his 83rd Birth Anniversary’ »

by Mano Ganesan We very strongly condemn the treatment meted out to the Srilankan pilgrims in Tamilnadu today and yesterday. These hooligan TN groups by their lunatic behaviors are only encouraging their counterparts in Sri Lanka. These protests and near attacks on the Lankan civilians, which included touring Lankan Tamils as well are staged under …

Continue reading ‘We strongly condemn attacks on Srilankan pilgrims and Civilians in Tamil Nadu’ »

By Jayadeva Uyangoda If we were to count on the repeated denials issued by the Ministry of External Affairs during recent weeks, there would be no South African mediation effort in Sri Lanka to bring about a political settlement to the ethnic conflict. The official statements however suggest that the Sri Lankan government has responded …

Continue reading ‘South Africa can Play a Useful Role of Engagement with the Government and TNA’ »

By Camelia Nathaniel Recent reports have indicated that many politicians act with impunity by disregarding the rule of law. This year alone legal action has been initiated against 42 politicians, most of them from the ruling party, for their involvement in various crimes. From the killing of a tourist to raping a 13-year-old and beating …

Continue reading ‘Legal Action Initiated Against 42 Politicians in Sri Lanka For Involvement in Various Crimes’ »

By Udaya Gammanpila India is very lucky. When India dreams of influencing Sri Lanka, it gets opportunities without much effort. The latest is its appointment to a panel by the United Nation’s Human Rights Commissioner, Ms Navaneethan Pillai. She appointed a panel consisting of three nations to assess the progress made by Sri Lanka in …

Continue reading ‘India’s Desire to Dominate Sri Lanka Should be Analyzed From a Historical Perspective’ »

(Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, describing himself as a generally silent person, says he is doing a silent job stabilizing the country’s economy. In an interview with Ceylon Today’s sister paper Mawbima, he speaks extensively on a range of issues including his electorate Gampaha, his political career, the current state of the Indo-Lanka relations …

Continue reading ‘Economic Affairs Ministry Has No Clear Boundaries Separating It From Other Ministries – Basil Rajapaksa’ »

by Gen. Liang Guanglie (Text of speech made by Gen Liang Guanglie, State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of the People’s Republic of China at the Defence Services Command and Staff College of Sri Lanka on August 30, 2012 It gives me great pleasure to visit Sri Lanka and meet with all the friends …

Continue reading ‘Stone Tablet Gifted in 1409 by Chinese Navigator Zhenghe during stopover in Sri Lanka has Chinese,Persian and Tamil Languages Carved on it’ »

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti (Celebrity author, columnist and activist Arundhati Roy speaks to s Handunnetti about being labelled a ‘negative writer’, of informed and engaged citizenry, casteism, feminism and the joy of being published in the local languages) Her reputation as a ‘rebel writer’ is something that makes Arundhati Roy glow. “It must be that child …

Continue reading ‘Arundhati Roy:”The Cinderella who Gladly Smashed her Glass Slippers”’ »

By Shamala Kumar The university system in Sri Lanka is at a standstill. The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), the umbrella body of 43 university teachers’ trade unions, is attempting to negotiate with a government that sees even the acknowledgement of FUTA’s position as a threat to its power and control.

By Vishalini Sivarajah In May, I travelled to Kosovo with ten other students from McMaster University on a trip facilitated by the Global Youth Volunteer Network, a non-profit volunteer organization. For the month, we worked with an organization called the Balkan Sunflowers (BSF). Rand Engel, an American living in Kosovo, founded this organization in 1999 …

Continue reading ‘A Different Perspective: My Global Experience in Kosovo’ »

by Gamini Weerakoon Just a few months ago Champika Ranawaka was strutting about the political firmament like an up and coming world champ. Sri Lanka, he declared, was the only country in South Asia that did not suffer power cuts. He as the Minister of Power would provide electricity to every household in Sri Lanka …

Continue reading ‘Champika Ranawaka as Power Minister must be held Responsible for Chinese power plant Fiasco at Noracholai’ »

by M.A. Sumanthiran M.P. Last Sunday I asked the question whether Tamils in this country can be glibly asked to ‘forget the past’ and move forward? Today I wish to list out the promises made to the Tamil People and their representatives, particularly after the General Elections of April 2010. It must be remembered that …

Continue reading ‘True State of Affairs Regarding Govt-TNA Talks and the Parliamentary Select Committee Invitation’ »

by Namini Wijedasa The Supreme Court last week took up three petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Economic Development Ministry’s Divineguma Bill. The court’s determination will be conveyed to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa on Thursday. The three-judge bench that heard submissions comprised Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices Priyasath Dep and S.E. Wanasundera. The petitions were …

Continue reading ‘Constitutionality of “Vague and uncertain” Divineguma bill Impinging upon Provincial Council Powers Challenged in Courts’ »

by Marianne David and Cheranka Mendis The safari savagery that erupted last week with mobile tented safari operators being attacked seems to have reached a ceasefire of sorts, following two meetings between stakeholders on Wednesday. Employees attached to Mahoora Safari Camps, Kulu Safaris and Leopard Safaris were assaulted by mobs affiliated to the Tissamaharama Jeep …

Continue reading ‘“Ceasefire” Declared Between Safari Camp Operators and Tissamaharama Jeep Association’ »

by Shanika Pitigala Passing this location through tarred roads, viewing its beauty at a glance, one really cannot appreciate the full range of treasures contained in in the Peradeniya Gardens. Walking beneath the shade of the giant palm trees and inhaling the fragrance of unknown numerous flowers, life arrives even more fresh than one expects …

Continue reading ‘Maintaining Peradeniya Botanical Gardens as Jewel in the Crown of Landscape Gardening’ »

by Kishali Pinto Jayewardene Dictators who believe that they are immune from being brought to justice for the crimes that they commit should take a long, hard look at what is happening around us in the wider global community. And let me add a caveat right at the start. This is not a precursor to …

Continue reading ‘Human Rights Abuses Committed Thirty Years ago are now Before Domestic Justice Institutions in Guatemala’ »

by C.A.Chandraprema This will be the last Sunday before the elections to the Eastern, Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces and everybody is wondering which way the cookie will crumble. While the opposition has basically abandoned hope in the NCP and Sabaragamuwa provinces, all hope is concentrated on the East. Here too hopes are centred not …

Continue reading ‘Tamil National Alliance is Actually Quite Weak in the East’ »

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Outside a doll, inside the plague”. – Greek Proverb Mega is a classic despotic-obsession. The largest, the tallest and the longest are absolutely irresistible to the nastiest, the meanest and the deadliest. Neither economic logic nor common or garden reason has any say in these pageants of megalomania.

By Namini Wijedasa Sri Lanka’s domestic rights situation will be closely analyzed by the international community during the UN Human Rights Council’s sessions in November. And in its country report recently submitted to the council – and published on the HRC website on Friday – the government has declared itself willing and ready to cooperate. …

Continue reading ‘Govt takes U turn and will cooperate with UNHRC for Universal Periodic Review’ »

by Tisaranee Gunasekara “Aim to win several elections in a row, so that the rules of the political game and the whole atmosphere of public life can be changed… Mobilize every (dirty) trick in the book of politics to achieve what others haven’t achieved….”:John Keane (The Life and Death of Democracy) In a truly democratic …

Continue reading ‘Over Frequent Elections in Sri Lanka are to Confirm Popularity of Rajapaksa Siblings Through Whatever Means Necessary’ »

by Mano Ratwatte I was saddened to hear about the thugs in Anuradhapura assaulting a doctor because he wanted to move unhindered on a road. If the story reported is accurate, this is a terrible thing. It reminds me of something that happened just before the 1970 elections.

TRICHY: The Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts in Trichy has had to pay a heavy price for hosting Sri Lankan students at its premises. Volunteers of Naam Thamizhar stormed the institution accusing them of harbouring Sri Lankan nationals and conducting cultural programmes with the latter.

THE Buddhist monk, staring intently at the smoke rising from an incense stick, said the government was destroying state-provided education because it was “easier to control uneducated fools”. Maduluwawe Sobitha is an influential figure among Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhala population. He is also a loud critic of the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.