Monthly Archives: November 2012

Sri Lanka:The clash of identities

Kamaya Jayatissa participated at the French-Sri Lankan Diaspora Youth Workshop “Post-War Reconciliation Dialogue for a Sustainable Peace”, which took place in Paris, on October 27th, 2012. She intervened as a panelist on the theme “Individual and collective identity(ies): between search and struggle”.
The event was organized by What’s Next!, an independent forum comprising of post-graduates and […]

By Kamaya Jayatissa | Published on November 29, 2012 at 11:25 pm

From Rajapaksa Economics to Rajapaksa Justice

“In the end the impeachment is really about us, our security and our future. Are we going to allow the Rajapaksas to do to the judiciary what they have done to politics and economics? Are we going to prove that there is no sleep like the feigned sleep of the cowardly and the indifferent?”
“We can neither […]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara | Published on November 29, 2012 at 11:12 pm

The Medamulane coup, the “people’s dynasty” and the invertebrates of Sri Lanka

“The Rajapaksas want more power. Again, according to Basil Rajapaksa, “In other countries who are successful, they were successful because immediately one person he takes the decisions. In Sri Lanka, the main problem is that that is not there, more decisions have to be centralized” (ibid). Wade through the grammatical-mire and the meaning is as […]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara | Published on November 24, 2012 at 9:40 pm

Sri Lanka:Can art still take up a social function?

Two examples from Sri Lanka in the context of post-conflict reconciliation
Speaking about the capacity that art may have to contribute to a social achievement like building sustainable peace or national reconciliation goes somewhat against the tide of the Western contemporary art. This approach could easily be perceived as naïve in the context of today’s contemporary […]

By Janaka Samarakoon | Published on November 24, 2012 at 5:32 am

Beware wolves in sheep’s clothing: The diabolical/enigmatic Sarath N. Silva

Never never land
Sarath N. Silva was never guilty of attempting to conceal his arrogant conviction that no
individual or body of persons could possibly have any right to call in question or inquire into his conduct, both personal and official.
No remorse
In a clear attempt to prevent any inquiry into his alleged misdeeds, for which he has […]

By Elmore Perera, Attorney-at-Law | Published on November 24, 2012 at 4:36 am

Prince William PR photo reveals substandard military passwords

A series of photos supposed to provide an insight into Prince William’s time in the RAF revealed something a little more, when several images were shown to contain sensitive information, including login details to a military website.
When the PR folk got together and said “let’s do a day-in-the-life of Prince William in the Royal Air […]

By | Published on November 24, 2012 at 4:18 am

Radhika Coomaraswamy receives Fondation Chirac Special Jury Prize 2012 in Paris

On November 22nd, 2012, Radhika Coomaraswamy, former Under Secretary General of the United Nations/Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, was awarded the Special Jury Prize 2012 by the Fondation Chirac for her actions in favor of the protection of children during armed conflict in the presence of Bernadette Chirac, wife of the former French president Jacques Chirac.

The event was […]

By Press Release | Published on November 24, 2012 at 4:00 am

CPA prepares resources to promote awareness on LLRC

Resources on and trainers for promoting awareness on LLRC

23 November 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Committee presented their much awaited report on Dec 16 2011. Following a war which lasted almost 30
years, and resulted in death, destruction and devastation, this report is the result, after 18 months, of a presidential commission of inquiry […]

By Centre for Policy Alternatives | Published on November 24, 2012 at 3:40 am

Freedom House denounces Morsi power grab in Egypt

Washington – Nov. 23, 2012– Freedom House denounces Egyptian President Mohamed
Morsi’s decision to claim sweeping new powers for himself through a constitutional declaration that expands his presidential power significantly beyond that of his predecessors, including those of Hosni Mubarak. This action poses a serious threat to the democratic transition in Egypt, and Freedom House urges […]

By Freedom House | Published on November 24, 2012 at 3:11 am

Autonomy and the Unitary State: Dayan Jayatilleka replies to Prof Peter Schalk

My last conversation with Prof Peter Schalk was in the faculty dining room at Georgetown University in the fall of 2005, when I was a visiting professor at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC. We were speaking at seminar on conflict in the Asian region hosted by the […]

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka | Published on November 20, 2012 at 12:01 am