Monthly Archives: August 2012

Ten critical Human Rights challenges for the next American President

Introduction
The upcoming presidential election and inauguration of the next administration is a critical moment to review and update U.S. policy on human
rights. Among the challenges the United States faces in the coming years are human rights abuses committed by governments and other actors across the globe that flout internationally accepted principles and undermine U.S. values […]

By Freedom House | Published on August 31, 2012 at 3:29 am

Wave of crime and its relation to politicos…a dangerous sign of decay

“Crime and bad lives are the measure of a State’s failure, all crime in the end is the crime of the community.” -H.G. WELLS, A Modern Utopia
Politicians arrested
It was reported that the police had arrested 40 politicians and instituted legal action against them during the past 12 months. According to Police Spokesman SP Ajith Rohana, […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on August 31, 2012 at 2:58 am

Wanted: Sri Lanka hangman. Very light work. Only males need apply

SRI LANKA on Tuesday (28 August 2012) began interviews for the post of hangman a year after two positions fell vacant, with at least 480 convicts on death row, a Reuters report said.
But it was not quite clear how the two successful candidates would fill their days – the death penalty has not been used […]

By | Published on August 30, 2012 at 11:45 am

Silencing dissent

If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
-John Stuart Mill (Liberty)
This column dedicated to the notion of fulfilling the aspirations of Sri […]

By Lakshman Indranath Keerthisinghe | Published on August 30, 2012 at 9:59 am

Fill lacuna in LLRC Action Plan with sincerity

The translation of the Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission into Sinhala and Tamil languages is an important step forward
in preparing the ground for its implementation. The National Peace Council welcomes this translation, and making the report accessible to the larger Sri Lankan population. The translations were handed over to the government representatives […]

By National Press Council | Published on August 30, 2012 at 9:51 am

Silenced Voices speak – the real Sri Lanka story

Lasantha Wickrematunge is probably not a name most people in the Western World would recognize. His martyrdom as the editor-in-chief of Sri Lanka’s critical newspaper, The Sunday Leader was, unlike the parts that Hollywood trouble-seeking trailblazers like George Clooney or Matt Damon play, not a role he wanted. But Lasantha loved to tell the truth.
Seekers […]

By Sandra Bertrand | Published on August 30, 2012 at 4:36 am

SRI LANKA: Drought link with kidney disease risk

COLOMBO, 28 August 2012 (IRIN) – Soaring temperatures in Sri Lanka’s dry zone in the northeast of the country are likely to heighten the risk of
chronic kidney disease as residents increasingly consume poor quality drinking water, experts warn.
More than a decade since the first cases of the fatal disease were reported, health experts are now […]

By IRIN | Published on August 28, 2012 at 10:11 am

Sri Lanka stock market roiled by scandal

Sri Lanka’s stock market, once a darling of investors, has seen its value plummet 26% in the past year and now faces a crisis of confidence after its regulator quit in a storm of controversy.
The tiny bourse became the world’s top gainer soon after the country ended decades of ethnic war, but three years later […]

By AFP | Published on August 27, 2012 at 12:01 pm

The FUTA option and its replicability

The public meeting last week by university academic staff led by the Federation of University Teachers Associations was a success both in terms of numbers who participated and the government’s response to it. The outcome of the event also points to the possibility of domestic pressure as against reliance on international pressure to make the […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on August 26, 2012 at 11:54 am

Shining Light on Sri Lanka’s Dirty Secret: the Disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda

(SALEM) – Exactly one year ago today, we brought our readers the story, Everyone’s asking ‘Where’s Prageeth?’ Sadly over this last year, nothing has been learned to bring this important Sri Lankan media figure, Prageeth Eknaligoda, back to his family.
His story has remarkable ties to many other similar occurrences that left behind widows, fatherless children […]

By Staff Correspondent | Published on August 26, 2012 at 10:32 am