Monthly Archives: June 2011

Rejection of FOIA -just another nail in the coffin of freedom in Sri Lanka

What started, with the easy passage of the draconian 18th amendment to the constitution of Sri Lanka, seems to continue without any break towards certain death of democracy and freedom. The right to information is acknowledged as a universal right of each and every human being. Of all SAARC countries, only Bhutan and Sri Lanka […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on June 29, 2011 at 9:30 pm

The Ban Ki Moon report on Sri Lanka and the dying conscience of a nation…

The US Department of State 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices was released on April 8, 2010 with its preface painting a gloomy picture of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. It details quite vividly, among others, the alleged abductions, torture and killings of people, the dates and places of such crimes and […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on June 29, 2011 at 6:41 pm

North meets South: Government-Civil Society collaboration in Matara

During the period of the war, the government was successful in mobilizing the sense of patriotism and nationalism of the majority of people to obtain their support for the war and also to win massive majorities at election after election. Those who surround the government leadership at the highest levels come with this sentiment of […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on June 27, 2011 at 2:33 pm

SRI LANKA: A report on 323 cases of police torture

June 26 is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Torture is a crime under international law. According to all relevant instruments, it is absolutely prohibited and cannot be justified under any circumstances. This prohibition forms part of customary international law, which means that it is binding on every member of […]

By Staff Correspondent | Published on June 25, 2011 at 6:17 am

Faculty and students speak out against compulsory leadership training in universities

The compulsory leadership training introduced by the Higher Education Ministry for university students has come under severe criticism by University Academics. Many insist the ongoing leadership training program violates the University Act and allege it is an insidious method to provide military training to students.
The compulsory “leadership and positive attitude development” program for university entrants may […]

By Nirmala Kannangara | Published on June 25, 2011 at 5:45 am

Sri Lanka needs a change

When we live in ‘exile’, we often meet various people from various countries. They always speak about their own countries and leaders. Sometimes they boast about their victories and histories. But, as Sri Lankans, what do we have to say about our country and its leaders? What do we have to boast about?
Yes. We have a long 5000 year […]

By Upali Tennakoon | Published on June 24, 2011 at 10:32 pm

Mervyn de Silva’s progressive realism in world affairs

12th Death Anniversary (June 22)
‘The Bandung conference…symbolized the climax of the anti-imperialist movement in espousing ideals that were greater than the nation.” (Prasenjit Duara, ‘The Global and Regional in China’s Nation-Formation’, Routledge 2009, p.61)
In his controversial book The Cage, the best known anti-Sri Lanka publicist, former UN spokesperson Gordon Weiss, had this, among other things […]

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka | Published on June 24, 2011 at 6:25 pm

Serious cultural – behavioral issues prevalent in Sri Lanka and not a conspiracy against the country

There is paranoia in Sri Lanka of an international conspiracy against it. What seems prevalent is not a conspiracy, but serious cultural/behavioral issuesThe Sri Lankan security forces are without doubt, one of the best fighting forces in the World. At the height of the conflict, an officer from a British security agency informed this writer, […]

By Dushy Ranetunge | Published on June 22, 2011 at 1:33 pm

SRI LANKA: Replacing investigations with gossip

The attempt to trivialize the campaign on the disappearance of Prageeth Ekneliagoda
There are discussions about Prageeth Eknaliagoda’s abduction and disappearance that go something like this:
Was he a journalist or was he not a journalist? Was he a great journalist or was he a lesser journalist? Was he abducted and made to disappear due his activities as a […]

By Basil Fernando | Published on June 22, 2011 at 2:46 am

The Silence of Sri Lanka

In April 2009, we travelled together as foreign ministers to Sri Lanka, as 25 years of fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers neared its end.
The remaining fighters were trapped in the northern most part of the country — along with large numbers of civilians. U.N. estimates put the numbers of civilians […]

By David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner | Published on June 21, 2011 at 8:43 pm