By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Two days before the advent of the “Pilava” April New Year on April 12th , Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala released 11 suspects who had been in custody for two years since early 2019. These included well-known underworld figure Sanjeewa Samararatne alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa a.k.a. Malingamuwe Sanjeewa and ten others who were …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Easter Sunday bombings of April 21st 2019 and its consequences have caused a profound impact on the body politic of Sri Lanka. A significant feature of his fall-out has been the bold initiative taken by the Catholic Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith. Immensely disappointed by the slow and tardy …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj ( The World’s first Woman Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was born on April 17th 1916. This article published in 2019 July is being re-posted here without any changes to commemorate her 105th Birth Anniversary) Germany’s defence minister Ursula von der Leyen has been elected president of the European Union (EU) Commission following a …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sinhala cinema’s pioneering director Lester James Peries is the Sri Lankan filmmaker I like, admire and respect most. The master movie maker’s 102nd birth anniversary falls on April 5. Sri Lankan Superstar Gamini Fonseka remains my favourite actor on the Sinhala silver screen since childhood. The Movie monarch’s 85th birth anniversary was on …
Continue reading ‘Cinematic Links Between Director Lester and Actor Gamini’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Former Catholic Bishop of the Mannar Diocese the Most Rev. Rayappu Joseph passed away peacefully in Jaffna on 1 April, just 15 days before his 81st birthday. He served as Mannar Bishop from 1992 to 2016. There was spontaneous grief and widespread mourning. Having served as Bishop for over two decades in Mannar, …
Continue reading ‘Mannar Emeritus Bishop Rayappu Joseph and the Madhu Church Crisis of 2008’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj ‘Is Sri Lanka fighting a lost battle in Geneva?’ was the heading of the article by this writer in these columns a fortnight ago. The answer became known conclusively as events unfolded at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 23 March. In spite of Sri Lanka’s strong opposition, the resolution titled …
Continue reading ‘Setback in Geneva For Sri Lanka at UNHRC Despite Strong Fightback’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The final version of the proposed resolution to promote “reconciliation, accountability and human rights” in Sri Lanka was tabled on 12 March at the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. It was sponsored by the United Kingdom (UK) and co-sponsored by Germany, Canada, Malawi, Montenegro and North …
Continue reading ‘Is Sri Lanka Fighting a Lost Battle at the UNHRC in Geneva?’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The ‘Great Game’ in Geneva involving Sri Lanka is now underway at the UNHRC! The 46th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that commenced on 22 February at the Palais des Nations in Geneva is scheduled to end after 30 days on 23 March. The current membership (2021) of …
Continue reading ‘UNHRC, Gotabaya Government and the Great Game in Geneva’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks was handed over to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa by the Chairman of the Commission Supreme Court judge Janak de Silva at the Presidential Secretariat on February 1st 2021. Former President Maithripala Sirisena appointed the Commission of Inquiry on September …
Continue reading ‘Zahran Hashim, Kattankudy and the Islamic State in Sri Lanka.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Popular Tamil film actor M. N. Nambiar who excelled in playing “villain”roles on screen was born on March 7th 1919. This article appearing in the “Spotlight” cinema Column of the “Daily FT” on November 28th 2015 is being re-posted here with minor changes in the first paragraph to denote the 102nd birth anniversary …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This is an Updated Version of an Article written for the “DBS Jeyaraj ” Column in the “Daily Mirror ” of Feb 20th 2021.) The flower bud is the accredited electoral symbol of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) which is ruling Sri Lanka. However the image of that flower bud resembles the …
Continue reading ‘The “Maravanpulavu” Man Behind Moves to Form the “BJP” in Sri Lanka’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (Former chief minister of Tamil Nadu Ms.Jayalalithaa Jayaram was born on February 24th 1948. The glamorous actress turned politician who passed away in 2016 would have turned seventy-three were she among the living now. This article originally written in 2016 for the “Spotlight”film affairs column in the “Daily Financial Times” is being re-posted …
Continue reading ‘When actress Jayalalithaa reigned as uncrowned Queen of Tamil cinema’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This is an Enhanced Version of an Article written for the “Political Pulse” Column in the “Daily Financial imes” of Feb 18th 2021). February 20th 1961 is a very important date in the history of the Sri Lankan Tamil political struggle to regain lost rights. It was on this day, sixty years ago …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This is an Enhanced Version of an Article written for the DBS Jeyaraj Column in the “Daily Mirror” of Feb 13th, 2021.) The “Pottuvil to Poligandy” (P2P) Protest that ended successfully last week was a watershed moment in the political history of Sri Lankan Tamils. The Five day “P2P” protest march began in …
Continue reading ‘Tamil “Satyagraha” Paralyses Administration in North and East 60 Years Ago’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The five-day-long ‘Pottuvil to Poligandy’ (P2P) protest that began in the East on Wednesday 3 February concluded in the north on Sunday 7 February on a triumphant note. Thousands of Tamils marched on foot and proceeded in vehicles from Pottuvil in the Amparai District to Poligandy in the Jaffna District. Tens of thousands …
Continue reading ‘Sarath Weerasekara and the Withdrawal of STF Security For Sumanthiran After P2P’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj There has been a lot of political excitement in the Tamil speaking areas of the Eastern Province for the past two days (Feb 3rd and 4th) due to the launching of a protest demonstration named “Pottuvil to Poligandy” or “P2P”. This was to be a long march on foot and in vehicles from …
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj It was widely reported in the media early this week that the National Anthem would be sung in Sinhala only at the official celebrations of Sri Lanka’s 73rd anniversary of gaining independence from Britain. Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne made it unambiguously clear at a press briefing that the National Anthem …
Continue reading ‘Excluding National Anthem in Tamil on Independence Day’ »
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj “Naghaichchuvai Mannan” (King of Comedy) Nagesh passed away in Chennai on Jan 31st 2009. His 12th death anniversary is being commemorated this year. He was born on September 27th 1933. Nagesh was the undisputed king of comedians in Tamil cinema from the early sixties to mid-seventies of the previous century. After a …
Continue reading ‘“Nagaichuvai Mannan” Nagesh: The Comedy King of Tamil Cinema’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj January 28th 2021 was the third death anniversary of famous film maker Dharmasena Pathiraja. The renowned academic cum film director, referred to as “Pathi” by almost everybody he interacted with, breathed his last on the morning of 28 January, 2018 at the Lakeside Hospital in Kandy. He was 74 years and had been …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Only God can save the Tamil people now” (Thamil Makkalai Inik Kadavul Thaan Kaappaatra Vaendum) was the anguished response of respected Sri Lankan Tamil political leader Samuel James Veluppilaai Chelvanayakam after the results of the 1970 Parliamentary Elections were known. The United Front (UF) led by Sirimavo Bandaranaike had swept the polls with …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Twelve years ago on 8 January 2009, Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge, the Editor of The Sunday Leader in Colombo, was killed by “unknown” assassins. He was my colleague, Editor, friend and above all a kindred soul. How I miss him! There is a huge vacuum in the media scene after his departure. It is …
Continue reading ‘Unbowed and Unafraid, Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge Spoke Truth to Power’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj On January 12th 2021, a three judge bench of the Supreme Court imposed a sentence of four years rigorous imprisonment on Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu alias Ranjan Ramanayake finding him guilty of the offence of Contempt of court. Prior to being taken away in a prisons dept …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj An overwhelming feeling of relief has descended upon the world – not merely the US- after the Presidential elections of the United States of America ended. Joseph Robinette Biden jnr known as Joe Biden is the new US President-elect. Biden’s creditable, credible electoral triumph has ensured that decency, dignity and decorum will once …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj A news report in the “Daily Mirror” last August stated that the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol(LRRP) of the Sri Lankan army’s Special Forces has been ranked the third most dangerous Special Forces in the world by the military ranks.info. The United States Navy SEALs was ranked as the most dangerous Special Forces Unit …
Continue reading ‘Army’s LRRP Ambush of LTTE’s Military Intelligence Chief Col. Charles.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This article written for the “DBS Jeyaraj Column” appeared first in the “Daily Mirror” of Jul 23, 2016.It was subsequently posted on this blog and is being re-posted here again without any changes to the original heading or content. This article recounts in detail the clashes that took place in the Jaffna campus …
Continue reading ‘Jaffna Varsity Violence: What Really Happened and Why!’ »
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj (Popular Tamil Nadu Film Actor cum Political Leader M.G.Ramachandran known as “MGR” was born in Kandy on January 17th 1917.. This article written earlier for the “Spotlight” Column of “Daily Financial Times” is reproduced here to denote MGR’s 104th Birth anniversary) There was a time when the magical initials MGR were a …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) is the premier political configuration representing the Tamils of North -Eastern Sri Lanka. The TNA comprising the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK),Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization(TELO) and Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam(PLOTE) has ten MP’s in the present Parliament. Of these nine are elected parliamentarians while one was appointed as …
Continue reading ‘Jaffna Mayor Election Defeat Triggers Crisis in TNA-ITAK’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ is a drama written in verse by the great poet, essayist and playwright Thomas Stearnes Eliot known to the literary world as T.S. Eliot. It is based on the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in December 1170 during the reign of King Henry II. Eliot had …
Continue reading ‘Murder in the Cathedral: Christmas Killing of TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham’ »
“Joyful Christmas and Happy New Year To All” – Seasons Greetings From D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Christmas is you, when you decide to be born again each day, and let God into your soul. The Christmas pine is you, when you resist vigorous winds and difficulties of life. The Christmas decorations are you, when your virtues are colours …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The recent announcement by Tamil Cinema Superstar Rajinikanth that he would be forming a political party to contest all 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly at the forthcoming May 2021 elections has led to much speculation and excitement. An immediate consequence of Rajinikanth’s political announcement was the inevitable comparison with the …
Continue reading ‘M.G.R.: From Tamil Film Hero to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.’ »
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year Friends! It’s Christmas season again! Only this year the COVID-19 Pandemic has restricted the fun,frolic and festivity. Let us all hope and pray that the world withstands and recovers as soon as possible. The Christmas spirit however will remain despite the changed situation. An integral …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Anton Stanislaus Balasingham the political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) and political adviser to tiger leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran died 14 years ago in his South London residence, His death was not unexpected as it was known, the doctors had given him four to six weeks to live. Bala ‘Annai’ (elder …
Continue reading ‘Life and Times of Anton Stanislaus Balasingham the LTTE Political Strategist’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Tamil Nadu, the Indian State closest to Sri Lanka, is gripped by a great deal of political excitement these days. Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections are due in May 2021. All political parties active in the State – from the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK/ADMK) to the chief opposition Dravida Munnetra …
Continue reading ‘Tamil Cinema Superstar Rajinikanth’s Political Party Plunge’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj November 27th 1989 was the day on which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE)first observed its annual “Maaveerar Naal” or Great Heroes Day (GHD). The LTTE and its leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran are no more after the military defear of the tigers in May 2009. Yet the Great Heroes Day(GHD) continues to commemorated on …
Continue reading ‘Gotabaya Govt’s Pre-emptive Strike Against LTTE “Maaveerar Naal”’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj November 17th 2020 was the birth centenary of popular Tamil cinema actor Gemini Ganesan. In a career spanning more than five decades Gemini Ganesan made his mark in Tamil films as the romantic hero par excellence. Gemini Ganesan was regarded widely as the greatest romantic lover in Tamil cinema. In fact he was …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Patabandi Don Nandasiri Wijeweera known to the world at large as Rohana Wijeweera was killed 31 years ago on 13 November 1989.The revolutionary leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or People’s Liberation Front was 49 years old at the time of his death. The mastermind behind two bloody insurrections – in 1971 …
Continue reading ‘Sensational Capture and “Unofficial” Execution of JVP Leader Rohana Wijeweera.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the Presidential Elections on 16 November 2019. He was formally sworn in as President two days later at the Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura. Today 18 November is the first anniversary of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa assuming office. Incidentally the President’s elder brother, former President and current Prime Minister Mahinda Percy Rajapaksa …
Continue reading ‘LTTE’s Abortive Attempt to Assassinate Gotabaya Rajapaksa 14 Years Ago.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj More than eleven years have passed since the War between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) organization concluded. The lengthy conflict described at one time as South Asia’s longest war came to an end after the military defeat of the LTTE in May 2009. Many of the military …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa achieved a significant victory last week when the 20th Constitutional Amendment was passed in Parliament with 156 MP’s voting in support and 65 Voting against. The 20th Amendment which has now become law restores full-fledged powers to the executive presidency. Earlier the 19th Constitutional Amendment passed in …
Continue reading ‘Murder of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and Conviction of Duminda Silva’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forcibly expelled the Tamil-speaking Muslim people from the Northern Province in October 1990. Within a few days the Muslims were chased out of their homeland where they had lived for many, many centuries. This year 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of this cruel, inhuman episode in …
Continue reading ‘Mass Expulsion of Muslims From The North By The LTTE Thirty Years Ago’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The controversial 20th Amendment to the Constitution has been passed with a two-thirds majority. 156 MP’s voted in favour while 65 voted against. Among those who voted for 20 A were eight MP’s from the opposition. Widespread speculation about the possibility of some dissidents within Govt folds voting against it and preventing a …
Continue reading ‘From JR’s 2nd to Gota’s 20th: A Tale Of Two Constitutional Amendments’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Kovilage Vijaya Anthony Kumaratunga, known to the world as Vijaya Kumaratunga, was born in Seeduwa on 9 October 1945. Vijaya was an endearing personality with an enduring vision whom I liked, admired and respected very much. He was a man who envisaged the transformation of Sri Lanka into an inclusive, multi-ethnic, egalitarian and …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Charles Percival de Silva known as CP de Silva or CP was a mercurial personality who strode across the Sri Lankan -known then as Ceylon- political scene like a colossus. He passed away on October 9th 1972. CP de Silva was a former Civil servant and cabinet minister who was worshipped by thousands …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sixty-one years ago on September 25th 1959 Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then was shot and seriously wounded by a Buddhist monk. Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day. Therefore September 26th 1959 got etched as …
Continue reading ‘Murder Most Foul: Assassination of Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike’ »
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj ( The great Tamil film actor Sivaji Ganesan was born on October 1st 1928. This article written in 2014 is re-posted here without any changes to commemorate the “Nadighar Thilagham”s Birth anniversary) The first Tamil film which impacted on me greatly during childhood was ‘Veera Pandiya Kattabomman’. It was a kind of …
Continue reading ‘Sivaji Ganesan: Tamil cinema’s versatile actor par excellence’ »
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj (This article was first published six years ago to commemorate the 25th death anniversary of Dr.Rajini.It is re-posted here without any changes to denote her 31st death anniversary) It was 25 years ago on September 21st 1989 that Dr. Rajini Thiranagama nee Rajasingham was killed in Jaffna. She was 35 years old …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Today (16 September) is the 20th death anniversary of Mohammad Hussein Muhammad Ashraff, the legendary leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). He was the Cabinet Minister in charge of Shipping, Ports, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation in the Government of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the time of his death. He, along with …
Continue reading ‘Legendary Muslim Congress “Thalaiver” MHM Ashraff and the Tamils of Sri Lanka’ »
டி.பி.எஸ்.ஜெயராஜ் (This is the Tamil Version of the English Article “Life and Times of Dynamic Tamil Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam” by D.B.S.Jeyaraj in the “Political Pulse” Column of the “Daily FT” on August 26th 2020) அமிர் அல்லது அமுதர் என்று வாஞ்சையுடன் அழைக்கப்பட்ட நன்கு பிரபல்யம் வாய்ந்த இலங்கை தமிழ் அரசியல் தலைவர் அப்பாப்பிள்ளை அமிர்தலிங்கத்தின் 93ஆவது பிறந்த தினம் அண்மையில் (ஆகஸ்ட் 26) …
Continue reading ‘ஆற்றல் மிகு தமிழ்த் தலைவர் அப்பாப்பிள்ளை அமிர்தலிங்கத்தின் வாழ்வும் காலமும்’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj A concerted move by five (four+One) stalwarts of the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) – the chief constituent of the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) – to remove the party General- Secretary K. Thurairajasingham from his post through a no confidence motion ended in a dismal failure at a conclave held in Vavuniya on Saturday August …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The “Mathiya Seyal Kuzhu” (central working committee) of the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK) also known as the Federal Party will be meeting today (Aug 29) in Vavuniya. The committee is generally referred to as “Mathiya Kuzhu”(Central committee). The Central Working committee is the key representative body of the ITAK. It comprises representatives elected …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Today (26 August) is the 93rd birth anniversary of well-known Sri Lankan Tamil political leader Appapillai Amirthalingam, known affectionately as Amir and Amuthar. Amirthalingam served as a Parliamentarian for 20 years in an illustrious political career spanning four decades. He was a stalwart of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) known as the …
Continue reading ‘Life and Times of Dynamic Tamil Political Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The recently concluded Sri Lankan parliamentary election resulted in the defeat of several veteran politicians. Among these was well-known Northern Tamil leader Somasundaram”Maavai” Senathirajah who had been representing Jaffna district in Parliament for 20 successive years since 2000. Very often the electoral defeat of a long established political leader causes political convulsions in …
Continue reading ‘Future Course of Defeated ITAK Leader “Maavai” Senathirajah.’ »
டி.பி.எஸ்.ஜெயராஜ் (This is the Tamil Version of the English Article “Future Course of Defeated ITAK Leader “Maavai” Senathirajah by D.B.S. Jeyaraj in the “Daily Mirror” Of August 22nd 2020) அண்மையில் முடிவடைந்த பாராளுமன்றத் தேர்தலில் பல மூத்த அரசியல்வாதிகள் தோல்வி கண்டிருக்கிறார்கள். அவர்களில் நன்கு பிரபலமான வடபகுதி தமிழ்த் தலைவர் சோமசுந்தரம் மாவை சேனாதிராஜாவும் ஒருவர். அவர் 2000ஆம் ஆண்டு தொடக்கம் தொடர்ச்சியாக 20வருடங்கள் பாராளுமன்றத்தில் …
By D.B.S.JEYARAJ The one word answer to the question “Did M. A. Sumanthiran of the Tamil National Alliance win in the Jaffna Electoral district by “stealing” the preference votes cast for another TNA candidate Ms. Sashikala Raviraj? is NO! Yet the 2020 Parliamentary poll in the Jaffna electoral district comprising the Kilinochchi and Jaffna administrative …
Continue reading ‘Failed Attempt To De-legitimize Sumanthiran’s Election Victory In Jaffna’ »
-டி.பி.எஸ்.ஜெயராஜ்- ஆங்கில மூலம்: டெய்லி மிரர் ‘தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பின் எம்.ஏ.சுமந்திரன் அதே கட்சியின் இன்னொரு வேட்பாளரான சசிகலா ரவிராஜுக்கு அளிக்கப்பட்ட முன்னுரிமை விருப்பு வாக்குகளை ‘களவாடியதன்’ மூலம் யாழ்ப்பாண தேர்தல் மாவட்டத்தில் வெற்றி பெற்றாரா?’. இந்தக் கேள்விக்கான ஒரு சொல் பதில் இல்லை என்பதேயாகும். இருந்தாலும், கிளிநொச்சி நிர்வாக மாவட்டத்தையும் யாழ்ப்பாண நிர்வாக மாவட்டத்தையும் உள்ளடக்கிய யாழ்ப்பாண தேர்தல் மாவட்டத்தின் 2020 பாராளுமன்றத் தேர்தல் சசிகலாவின் விருப்பு வாக்குகளை தனக்கு அனுகூலமான முறையில் சுமந்திரன் ‘மாற்றியிருந்தார’ …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Mahendra Percy Rajapaksa known to the world as Mahinda Rajapaksa has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for the fourth time at a grand ceremony held within the precincts of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara. The Kelaniya Buddhist temple is venerated by Sri Lankan Buddhists who believe Lord Buddha visited …
Continue reading ‘Fascinating Features of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Early Life.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The long awaited 2020 Parliamentary Elections has concluded with a 71% Voter turnout despite the difficulties imposed by the COVID -19 Pandemic threat. Appropriate health procedures were followed by the authorities with enthusiastic cooperation of the people. Voter feedback is generally positive about the efficient manner in which the polls were conducted. The …
Continue reading ‘TNA Suffers Electoral Setback In North and East Polls.’ »
By D.B.S.JEYARAJ Today (29 July) is the 33rd third anniversary of the Indo-Lanka Accord. It was on 29 July 1987 that former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene signed in Colombo the agreement between India and Sri Lanka known as the Indo-Lanka Accord along with two letters described …
Continue reading ‘The Indo -Lanka Accord and the Sri Lankan Tamils’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sri Lanka or Ceylon as it was known earlier has faced many challenges and problems since Independence from Britain in 1948. We have had military coup attempts, communal riots, pogroms, armed revolts, external military intervention, assassinations of heads of State, terrorist violence and above all a long secessionist war that threatened to tear …
Continue reading ‘Poetry For Reflection On Sri Lanka’s Election Day’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Rajapalsa regime is all out to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament through the forthcoming elections on August 5. The avowed objective of such a steam -roller majority is to promulgate a new Constitution or enact Constitutional amendments unilaterally. According to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna(SLPP) ideologue Prof. Gamini Lakshman Peiris a strong …
Continue reading ‘Tamils Desiring a Silk “Verti” May Lose Even Their Cotton “Verti”.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The fourth week of July revives bad memories among most Tamils who lived in Sri Lanka during the month of July in 1983. It was in that week in July that large-scale violence was let loose upon Tamils living in various parts of Sri Lanka including Colombo and suburbs. The week long spree …
Continue reading ‘July 1983: Two Northern Attacks and One Island-wide Anti-Tamil Pogrom’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The hills of Nuwara – Eliya are vibrantly alive with the hectic sounds of Parliamentary electioneering! Nuwara – Eliya district with its picturesque landscape and salubrious climate elects eight members in the 225 member Parliament of Sri Lanka. 577,717 registered voters in the district are eligible to cast their ballots at the forthcoming …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sri Lanka known as Ceylon made history 60 years ago when Sirimavo Bandaranaike was sworn in as the world’s first woman prime minister on 21 July 1960. The first paragraph of a news report in the prestigious British newspaper ‘Guardian’ dated 22 July 1960 stated as follows: “Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike, Leader of the …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj It was the morning of Saturday 4 July. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) had organised a meeting to discuss the forthcoming Parliamentary Elections at the ‘Ilankalainger Mandapam’ (Young Artistes Hall) in Nallur, Jaffna. The meeting was for all TNA past and present members of local authorities as well as Parliamentary Election candidates in …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The China of today is vastly different to the China that I knew of in my younger days. Thinking about the China of those times evokes memories of many things like the cultural revolution, red guards, the great leap forward, the red book of Chairman Mao’s thoughts and above all Mao Zedong himself …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj‘ With Parliamentary Elections being scheduled for 5 August, most political parties and independent groups contesting the polls have commenced their respective campaigns in a big way. The hopelessly-divided chief Opposition, seemingly bereft of valid issues to raise, has eagerly seized upon the ‘Karuna Amman admission of Elephant Pass killings’ to target the SLPP …
by D.B.S.JEYARAJ Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan alias “Karuna Amman” a.k.a. “Col” Karuna has got himself into hot water by shooting his mouth off at an election meeting in the East. The former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) commander for the Batticaloa and Amparai districts who defected from the tigers after revolting against former LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran …
Continue reading ‘How “Col” Karuna’s Eastern Tiger Revolt Was Crushed By LTTE Chief Prabhakaran’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Vinayagamoorthi Muraleetharan alias “Karuna Amman” a.k.a. “Col” Karuna is currently very much in the news. The former Eastern Regional Leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 and collaborated with the Sri Lankan armed forces in combatting the Veluppillai Prabhakaran-led Tigers appears to be …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj JR Jayewardene and Gotabaya Rajapaksa:A tale of Two Executive Presidents – Part Three The entry of Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa into the presidential race in 2019 brought about a paradigm shift in the mode and manner of contesting elections by major political party fielded presidential candidates. In the past all candidates who fancied themselves …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj JR Jayewardene and Gotabaya Rajapaksa: A Tale Of Two Executive Presidents -Part Two Junius Richard Jayewardene’s reign as Executive President which began in 1978 came to an end in 1988. Even at the tail-end of his tenure, the grandmaster of political chess did toy with the idea of contesting for a third term …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa who was sworn in as Executive President on 18 November 2019 has been in office for six months now. He has been compelled to cope – and continues to cope – with several challenges during his brief but eventful tenure. However, it is not my intention to evaluate Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s …
Continue reading ‘JR Jayewardene and Gotabaya Rajapaksa: A Tale Of Two Executive Presidents’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran was in the eye of a raging political storm some weeks ago due to a YouTube interview given by the 56-year-old President’s Counsel cum politician to the “Truth with Chamuditha” show. A few of the questions and answers in Sinhala were picked up by a Tamil TV – reportedly aligned …
Continue reading ‘The Plot Within the TNA Targeting Party Spokesman Sumanthiran’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) leader and Cabinet minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development, Savumiamoorthy Arumugan Ramanathan Thondaman died of a cardiac arrest on Tuesday May 26th 2020. The 55 year old political leader known as Arumugan and Thonda would have celebrated his 56th birthday on May 29th but fate decreed otherwise. Arumugan …
Continue reading ‘When Arumugan Thondaman Clashed With Mahinda Rajapaksa.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj‘ ‘Traitorisation,’ the monster created over the years by Tamil nationalist politics, is running amok again. The current target is former Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran. The lawyer-politician is being attacked as a ‘Tamil traitor’ for some of the comments he reportedly made in a Sinhala language …
Continue reading ‘The “Traitorisation” Tragedy Of Tamil Nationalist Politics.’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed 11 years ago in combat with the armed forces of Sri Lanka on 19 May 2009. The longest war in South Asia came to an end after the military debacle of the LTTE on the shores of Nandikadal Lagoon in the …
Continue reading ‘Tale of a Tiger: Facets of LTTE Supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran’s Life.’ »
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is the premier political configuration representing the Sri Lankan Tamils of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka. The booming question that has been looming large on the Tamil political horizon during the past week or more is whether the TNA was created by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) …
Continue reading ‘Was The Tamil National Alliance Formed By The “Tigers” In 2001?’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Former Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Spokesperson of the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) and Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi(ITAK), Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran is currently in the eye of a political storm. The you tube interview given by the 56 year old Presidents counsel cum politician to the “Truth With Chamuditha” show conducted by senior journalist Chamuditha …
Continue reading ‘TNA Spokesperson Sumanthiran In The Eye Of a Political Storm’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj When Seven major opposition parties made an offer of responsible cooperation in return for restoration of Parliament to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa they were rudely rebuffed. When his brother Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa invited all former MP’s of the dissolved Parliament for a political conference, he was rebuffed (but not rudely) by all opposition …
Continue reading ‘TNA Scores Politically By Responding To PM Mahinda’s Invitation Positively’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj June 20th 2020 is the D-day for Sri Lankan Parliamentary Elections. The Election Commission has fixed June 20 as the new date for the postponed election of April 25. However a question mark looms large over the holding of polls on the said date as scheduled. At least eight fundamental rights petitions have …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj ‘Responsive cooperation’ was at one time a popular phrase in the political lexicon of Ceylon as Sri Lanka was known in the past. It came into vogue through G.G. Ponnambalam, the mercurial leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), founded in 1944. The G.G. Ponnambalam-led Tamil Congress demanded a political system based …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The world including Sri Lanka is undergoing a pandemic crisis of colossal proportions. The Island nation however is in double jeopardy as it is in the grip of two crises siumultaneously. One of course is the Covid-19 Health crisis inflicted globally by nature. The other experienced by Sri Lanka is the Constitutional crisis …
Continue reading ‘Politics of Postponing Parliamentary Elections Amidst a Pandemic’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj June 20th 2020 is the new D-day for Sri Lanka’s postponed parliamentary elections. The three – member election commission that met in Colombo on April 20 has decided that fresh elections to the now dissolved parliament could be held on June 20. A notification to this effect has been duly gazetted. The parliamentary …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj * People MUST Go Out as well as Stay at Home!Not just Stay at home only. * No election can be held while exercising ‘Social Distancing’. Electioneering is the very anti-thesis of social distancing. * An election held before the virus is completely eradicated, will only heighten the risk of a fresh outbreak. …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The deadline for the 2020 Parliamentary elections nominations scheduled for April 25 ended at Noon on Thursday March 19th. Two hours later Sri Lanka’s Chief Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced that elections would be indefinitely postponed due to the spread of the dreaded COVID-19 Virus Pandemic in the Island. Mahinda Deshapriya explained to …
Continue reading ‘Coronavirus Pandemic, Postponed Elections and the Tamil National Alliance’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sinhala cinema’s super star Gamini Fonseka once described H.R. Jothipala as a playback singer “who sang to joy, emotion and grief, the three essential areas in film songs”. In an excerpted interview published in these columns a fortnight ago, Gamini stated forthrightly: “Of all singers, H.R. Jothipala is exclusive. He has come to …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Poruthukeesi Karaya, Ratawal Allanna Sooraya,” the lilting Baila song from ‘Sandesaya’ was the first Sinhala film song that I became immensely fond of as a little boy. I did not see the film ‘Sandesaya’ when it was first released in 1960 but I memorised the words by listening to the song and sang …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Gedara Hitiya Rosa Kekula Rosa, Rosa” was the opening line of a lilting Baila song in Sinhala that was hugely popular in the seventies of the last century. The toe-tapping number which became known as the “Rosa ,Rosa” song was from the film “Lasanda” released in 1974.”Lasanda” was based on a story written …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj In October last year, twelve Malaysian Nationals of Tamil origin were arrested by the Malaysian Police over suspected links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and alleged involvement in terrorist activity. The head of Malaysian Police Special Branch Counter-Terrorism division Deputy Commissioner Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay went to town with claims …
Continue reading ‘How and Why Twelve LTTE Suspects Were Arrested and Released in Malaysia’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Cinematic history was made on 9 February at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles where the 92nd awards ceremony of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was held. For the first time in its ‘nonagenarian’ lifetime, the Academy award known as Oscar was presented to a non-English film in the …
Continue reading ‘Korean Film Maker Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” Makes Oscar History 🇰🇷🎬🌏’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “May you live in interesting times.” is a saying that is believed to be an ancient Chinese curse. Many writers and speakers often use this expression or phrase and attribute Chinese origins to it. In spite of the widely held belief about Chinese links, recent studies by Etymologist scholars and linguistic researchers have …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj The political landscape of Sri Lanka seems gloomy and desolate. Most of the actors who strut about the political stage posing as visionaries and leaders are in actuality empty vessels devoid of substance. Proverbial wisdom tells us that empty vessels make most sound. This is most apparent in the cacophony of voices currently …
by D,B.S.JEYARAJ Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 3 This is my third and final column in this trilogy of articles about the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in the Sinhala and Tamil languages. I would have very much liked to write about hot topics like Ranjan Ramanayake’s recordings or President Gotabaya’s …
Continue reading ‘Tamils Want To Sing The National Anthem In Their Mother Tongue’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 2 2020 has dawned!Greetings for the new year to all “Daily Mirror” readers. My article in these columns last week about moves being contemplated to forbid the singing of Sri Lanka’s national anthem in Tamil at the 70th independence day event, seems to have been …
Continue reading ‘The Past Under Mahinda Is Resurfacing In The Present Under Gotabaya’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Singing The National Anthem In Tamil Trilogy – 1 The news story appearing in the “Daily Mirror”last week was like a bolt out of the blue. It said that the national anthem would be sung in the Sinhala language only at the forthcoming celebratory event of Sri Lanka or Ceylon gaining full independence …
Continue reading ‘Singing The National Anthem in The Sinhala and Tamil Languages’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj December 18th 1949 was a Red letter day in the political history of Sri Lankan Tamils known as “Ilangaith Thamizhar” in their mother tongue. On that day a group of sixty Tamils including two parliamentarians and two Senators launched a new political party with the avowed goal of establishing an autonomous state for …
Continue reading ‘Dawn of Ceylon Independence and Birth of the Tamil Federal Party’ »
Merry Christmas Everybody! Compliments of the season From David Buell Sabapathy Jeyaraj
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Recent events have focused the media spotlight on the Federal Republic of Switzerland known officially as the Swiss Confederation. The landlocked European nation is respected highly on a global scale due to its policy of armed neutrality. Despite the impeccable credentials of Switzerland, the country is being viewed negatively by influential sections of …
Continue reading ‘The Switzerland Connection in LTTE Fund Raising Activity’ »
by D.B.S.JEYARAJ President Gotabaya Spearheads the Return of Ruhunu Rajapaksas – Part Two The election of Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the seventh executive president of Sri Lanka has effectively demonstrated that the “Ruhunu Rajapaksas” have come to stay as a dynastic political force in the country. As stated last week in the first of this …
Continue reading ‘Positives and Negatives of The “New” Rajapaksa Regime Under President Gotabaya’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The titles of two popular films figured prominently in the English language mainstream and social media during the course of Sri Lanka’s 2019 Presidential Election campaign. One was the English science fiction film ‘Terminator’ made in the USA while the other was the Hindi semi-biographical film ‘Pad Man’ made in India. Both film …
Continue reading ‘Sajith’s Sanitary Pad Pledge and the Popular Hindi Film “Pad Man”’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj (This Article written three years ago is re-posted here without any changes to denote the death anniversary of Anton Stanislaus Balasingham) Ten years ago in the third week of November 2006 I received a telephone call from London.It was from Anton Stanislaus Balasingham the political adviser and strategist of the Liberation Tigers of …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The 2019 Presidential election is over and Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been elected as the seventh executive president of Sri Lanka with a thumping majority. The result seems to have upset the calculations and predictions of many a commentator and analyst writing in English both in Sri Lanka and abroad. It has indeed …
Continue reading ‘President Gotabaya Spearheads the Return of Ruhunu Rajapaksas’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Gotaphobia”: Who’s Afraid of Nandasena Gotabhaya Rajapaksa? – Part Two This writer devoted several hours in the past fortnight to communicate with a cross section of Sinhala media personnel in the Southern, Central, Sabaragamuwa, North Western and North Central provinces of Sri Lanka. A few journalist colleagues in Colombo helped to put me …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, The big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Tra la la la la la la la” – Song Written by Frank Churchill for the 1933 Walt Disney Animated Film “Three Little Pigs” “Onna Babo Billo Enawaa” was a familiar …
Continue reading ‘“Gotaphobia”: Who’s Afraid of Nandasena Gotabhaya Rajapaksa?’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj The political spectacle “Ekwa Idiriyata”(Forward Together) that unfolded on October 10th at Galle face green has elevated the morale of the green party to ecstatic heights. A mammoth crowd – estimated by some of being in the range of six digits – gathered on the shores of the Indian ocean to see, hear …
Continue reading ‘Rivalry and Rapprochement Between Ranil and Sajith: What Did Happen?’ »
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Ever since the name of Gotabaya Rajapaksa began to be bandied about as a potential candidate at the Sri Lankan presidential elections, doubts have been raised as to whether the former defence ministry secretary could win at the hustings. This skepticism has intensified in recent times after former president Mahinda Rajapaksa formally announced …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj There is political excitement in the air in anticipation of Presidential elections before the end of the year. Even though no dates have been specified there is much speculation about prospective candidates and their prospects. Among those being spoken of as a potential presidential election contender is Hambantota District Parliamentarian and Cabinet Minister …
By D.B.S.JEYARAJ The eighth Sri Lankan presidential election is expected to be held on or before December 7th this year. Though dates have not been announced yet, many names are being bandied about as potential candidates. Among such names is Hambantota district parliamentarian and cabinet Minister of Housing and Construction and Cultural Affairs Sajith Premadasa …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj Legendary Hindi film actor Amitabh Bachchan will be the latest recipient of India’s celebrated Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year. The annual award honours a distinguished person in the field of cinema for his or her “outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema” each year. India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj Sixty years ago on September 25th 1959 Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) the prime minister of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then was shot and seriously wounded by a Buddhist monk named Ven.Talduwe Somarama Thero. Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike succumbed to his injuries the following day.The fourth Prime minister of Independent Ceylon/Sri …
by D.B.S.Jeyaraj “The Prime Minister is Dead” was the striking headline in extra – large, bold letters of a special edition published by the now defunct “Times of Ceylon” on the morning of Saturday, September 26th 1959. Though I was only a little kid at that time and sixty years have passed since, I still …
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj When Professor Sunil Ariyaratne was studying for the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 1963 at St. John’s College, Nugegoda, one of his favourite textbooks was W.A. Silva’s novel ‘Vijayaba Kollaya’. Fifty-six years later in 2019, the eminent academic-writer-lyricist-director has made a film out of the novel he relished reading as …