by International Truth and Justice Project, South Africa, September 24, 2018 Press Release Johannesburg The Government of Sri Lanka is undermining the Office of Missing Persons by appointing a politician to implement its recommendations who has denied war crimes, including enforced disappearances, and who allegedly intimidated a victim. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has reportedly been appointed to… Read more »
Monthly Archives: September 2018
On Mathangi-MIA
Her thoughtful discussion at Oxford Union (50 min), UK [2017] The following article is about her documentary. I got into a fight with M.I.A. A documentary about the British-Tamil musician’s life is sparking difficult conversations about race and identity – and she isn’t afraid to get heated BY RADHEYAN SIMONPILLAI SEPTEMBER 19, 2018… Read more »
Unsilenced: Male Rape by the Sri Lankan Security Forces
A new report documents the widespread use of sexual torture on male Tamil detainees. By Ana Pararajasingham The Diplomat September 19, 2018 The latest report titled Unsilenced, released by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) on September 19, makes for grim reading. The report addresses a form of torture that is rarely spoken about despite… Read more »
China Expands Its Footprint in Sri Lanka
China is moving into new geographical areas of Sri Lanka, where Indian influence has traditionally been strongest. By Sudha Ramachandran The Diplomat September 11, 2018 China’s role in Sri Lanka, which has grown remarkably in recent years, is poised to expand geographically as well. Hitherto, Beijing’s projects were confined to the southern parts of the… Read more »
How Assad Made Truth a Casualty of War
by Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, ‘The New York Review of Books,’ September 7, 2018 Was Colvin’s sacrifice worthwhile? It is tempting to say no—that in an indifferent world, no story is worth dying for. But Colvin’s life is itself a rebuke to such pragmatism: she had risked her life before and saved many other lives as… Read more »
Sri Lanka Core Group Statement
by UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, September 11, 2018 This UK statement was delivered at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council during the Sri Lanka Core Group Statement This statement is delivered on behalf of Germany, Macedonia, Montenegro and the UK as members of the Sri Lanka core group. We welcome further recent… Read more »
A Sinking Ship
Tamil National Alliance [Editor’s note – we attempt not to become too involved in politics by supporting one party or another, because we feel there is no reason to make our dirty laundry public. We rarely post pieces on Tamil politics, but since the opinion stated here is such a common one at the moment,… Read more »
Thoughts on the Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. documentary
by a 1rst generation Tamil American, September 6, 2018 Film trailer. I recently had the privilege to see the documentary of the British rapper, producer, and activist M.I.A. at an advance screening hosted by Cinereach, the studio that produced the film. I’ve long been a big fan of her music, often revisiting her albums Kala… Read more »
Dance and the Sri Lankan Tamils
To this day, there is no Bharatanatyam style that is distinct to Sri Lanka. by Teevin Kulanthai, September 3, 2018 https://entamilculturalconsciousness.wordpress.com Dance is the aesthetic representation of culture through movement. As one of the earliest forms of storytelling, the enduring art form embodies and immortalizes the history and traditions of its creators. Apart from Koothu, which is more… Read more »
‘Kantarodai Civilization of Ancient Jaffna’
Kantarodai Civilization of Ancient Jaffna 500 BCE – 800 CE : A Study in Archaeology and Other Disciplines by Dr Siva Thiagarajah ISBN 9789556595260 Published 2016 by Kumaran Book House, Colombo Book is available at: Tamil Information Centre, Bridge End Cl, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6PZ Phone: 020 8546 1560 and http://www.marymartin.com/web/selectedIndex?mEntry=241252
GIJTR: Sri Lanka Case Study
by Global Initiative for Justice, Truth & Reparations, Global Reparations Summit, Belgrade, March 25-26, 2018 Case Study by International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, updated May 2018 Case_Study_-_Sri_Lanka Archives of the conference — https://www.globalreparations.com/live-stream/ Bhavani Fonseka on Day One, first segment at 2:15:45. Yasmin Sooka on Day One, second segment Summary of Reparations Efforts and Programs… Read more »
In Idlib, Final Offensive in Syrian War May Come at Horrific Cost
by Margaret Coker, Hwaida Saad and Carlotta Gall, ‘The New York Times,’ September 2, 2018 BAGHDAD — On land, Syria’s government is mustering thousands of conscripts to bolster its depleted forces. At sea, a Russian naval flotilla is just offshore, ready to intervene with formidable firepower. In Idlib Province, millions of civilians are dreading what… Read more »
Myanmar Generals Should Face Genocide Charges Over Rohingya, U.N. Says
by Nick Cummings-Bruce, ‘The New York Times,’ August 27, 2019 GENEVA — Myanmar’s army commander and other top generals should face trial in an international court for genocide against Rohingya Muslims and for crimes against humanity targeting other ethnic minorities, United Nations experts said on Monday after a yearlong investigation. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing,… Read more »
Amirthalingam, MGR and RAW Revisited
by Sachi Sri Kantha, August 31, 2018 Since 2001, I had covered Appapillai Amirthalingam’s life and politics in this website under various themes. Here is a select list of five items which have not been covered by other chroniclers of Eelam. Most importantly, details presented in these five items will hardly appear the Wikipedia version… Read more »
Grassroots Leaders Provide the Best Hope to a Troubled World
Amid cruelty and suffering, there are heroes, says Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who steps down on September 1st The apparent powerlessness of those who suffer was also brought home to me in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where Tamil communities dispossessed of their land by the military decades ago still… Read more »
BBC: Dozens of Skeletons Found in Mannar
Sri Lanka mass grave by Anbarasan Ethirajan, BBC, August 27, 2018 Experts in northern Sri Lanka are trying to identify the remains of dozens of bodies in a mass grave in the country’s former war zone. So far the skeletal remains of more than 90 people have been unearthed in the north-western town of Mannar…. Read more »