Picturing Tamil Women at War by Vindhya Buthpitiya, Trans Asia Photography, Vol. 13, Issue 1, May 1, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1215/21582025-10365016 Abstract This article examines the uses of images of women fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during and after the Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009) to explore the contrasting mobilizations of visual representations of… Read more »
Uduvil Girls College’s Bicentenary
by Dr. Thayalan Ambalavanar, Jaffna, February 7, 2024 Report Tuesday morning (6th February) saw the inaugural function of the Bicentennial celebrations of Uduvil Girls’ College in their college hall. The program was titled ‘Anthizo’ which in Greek means blossom. It was 200 years ago that a young American missionary, Harriet Winslow, started this school which… Read more »
The Birthrate Blues
by Joseph Charnie, Inter-Press Service, February 2, 2024 PORTLAND, USA, Jan 22 2024 (IPS) – Increasing numbers of countries are experiencing a spreading demographic condition, below replacement fertility, with many governments bemoaning the birthrate blues. Without compensating international migration, a fertility rate below the replacement level, which in most instances is approximately 2.1 births per woman, leads to population… Read more »
EU Resolution on Sri Lanka
European Parliament Joint motion for a resolution on Sri Lanka (Doc.: B5-0490/2003, B5-0492/2003, B5-0495/2003, B5-0498/2003, B5-0505/2003, B5-0510/2003 – Debate: 20.11.2003 – Vote: 20.11.2003) Vote MEPs adopted a joint resolution acknowledging the bold steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) to create the conditions in which negotiations… Read more »
Dragon in the Maldives
Red alert for India’s regional leadership The Maldives case is a vivid example that Beijing is not going to stop its power play in India’s neighboring countries. China’s aim is crystal clear: to question India’s bid for regional leadership. By A. Jathindra, South Asia Monitor, New Delhi, February 8, 2024 The Maldives, a small country,… Read more »
In Memoriam: Dr Rajan Sriskandarajah
(1943 – 2023) by Sachi Sri Kantha, February 3, 2024 When I heard the news of death of Dr Rajan Sriskandarajah last November, I felt so sad as if I had lost one of my family members. Though I came to be acquainted with him only in 2001, when I was 48, he was like… Read more »
TRC – a Sophisticated Get Out of Jail Free Card?
by Yasmin Sooka & Frances Harrison, Tamil Guardian, London, January 8, 2024 A rally in Jaffna in 2021, where Tamils demanded Sri Lanka be referred to the International Criminal Court. Sri Lanka has published a bill to establish a Commission for Truth, Unity and Reconciliation. Though the bill superficially appears to tick several boxes for… Read more »
‘A Showpiece Gesture’: Strategic Legitimation and Commissions of Inquiry in Sri Lanka
by Moira Lynch, Asian Journal of Peacebuilding, Seoul, Korea, Vol.11, No.2, 2023 pp.1-25 Abstract The Sri Lankan government implemented commissions of inquiry between 1977 and 2010. Though several commissions of inquiry produced comprehensive accounts of the violence in Sri Lanka’s civil war, and offered thorough recommendations, they rarely resulted in policy reforms or accountability. What… Read more »
Collective Genocidal Intent in Sri Lanka
by Maxwin Paul Rayen, Spring 2023 Collective Genocidal Intent in Sri Lanka Dear all, I am writing to share the recent publication of my LLM dissertation, which delves into the subject of “Collective Genocidal Violence in Sri Lanka.” My work critically examines the challenges associated with establishing genocidal intent and the subsequent lack of evidence… Read more »
Reply to Hon’ Milinda Moragoda
Regarding his utterance on 16.01.2024 re Provincial Councils by C.V. Wigneswaran, January 31, 2024 Erstwhile Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in India and the presently activated Founder of the Pathfinder Foundation has recently called for the abolition of the Provincial Councils system and has advocated direct devolution of powers to strengthen and reconfigure Local, Urban and… Read more »
Looking Back: An Item in Cyril Mathew’s Dossier
by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 29, 2024 35 years have passed since Caludewage Cyril Mathew (1912-1989), popularly known as Cyril Mathew was called to his Maker. A nasty Tamil-baiting politician made a big splash in November 1978 with the infamous ‘Mosquito question’ in a university entrance zoology exam paper to trap the Tamil university academics… Read more »
S. Shritharan’s Interview with Tamil Guardian
Tamil nationalism must begin from graves of Eelam fighters – Shritharan’s exclusive interview by Tamil Guardian, London, January 23, 2024 The newly elected leader of the Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK), Sivagnanam Shritharan spoke to the Tamil Guardian for an exclusive interview on how he hopes to further Tamil aspirations. Below are excerpts from the interview. –… Read more »
HRW: New Transitional Justice Process Lacks Credibility
UN Human Rights Council Engagement Remains Vital to Ensure Justice for Atrocity Crimes by Human Rights Watch, New York, January 29, 2022 (Geneva) – The Sri Lankan government’s proposed law to create another body to investigate wartime abuses replicates previous failed efforts, ignores the needs of victims, and falls far short of meeting Sri Lanka’s international legal… Read more »
US Senate Res. 493 & House Res. 926
by US Congress, December 12, 2024 Resolutions are identical. Co-sponsored by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) & James Risch (R-ID) and Representatives Bill Johnson (R-OH) & Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) BILLS -118 senate res. 493 is 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 493 Expressing the sense of the Senate in support of the peaceful, democratic, and… Read more »
Ganguly 2018: Ending the Sri Lankan Civil War
by Sumit Ganguly, Daedulus 147 (1): 78–89., January 1. 2018 PDF Abstract The Sri Lankan Civil War erupted in 1983 and dragged on until 2009. The origins of the conflict can be traced to Sri Lanka’s colonial era and subsequent postcolonial policies that had significantly constrained the social and economic rights of the minority Tamil… Read more »
Wigneswaran Points Out the Root Cause of Sri Lanka’s Ethnic Conflict
Many Sinhalese consider Wigneswaran a racist and tend to ignore his views. But no matter how problematic it is, he points to the viewpoint prevailing in the Tamil society in general about the history of Sri Lanka. by P. Harshani Dias, Sri Lanka Guardian, Colombo, May 20, 2023 Colonial Architecture, Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka,… Read more »
Prof. Singer 1992: Sri Lanka’s Tamil-Sinhalese Ethnic Conflict
Alternative Solutions by Marshall Singer, Asian Survey, Vol. XXXII, No.6, (University of California Press), August 1992 Marshall R. Singer is Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh. This article is a version of a paper presented at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, April 1992, Washington, D.C. Warfare… Read more »
The Sri Lankan Civil War: Notes for UPSC Exam
by Byju’s Exam Prep, accessed January 22, 2024 UPSC is the arm of the Indian civil service which administers the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam. The war in Sri Lanka between the separatist Tamil forces and the government was a heavy one with a death toll of over 150000 from both sides including civilians. Starting… Read more »
MGR Remembered – Part 74
Chief Minister – Phase 1 by Sachi Sri Kantha, January 19, 2024 I provide below the comments received from pal and fellow MGR biographer R. Kannan on Nov. 21st about the contents in Part 73 of this series, and my response. Kannan had written, “…thank you for part 73 of MGR-remembered [series]. Your eye for… Read more »
OHCHR’s Sri Lanka Accountability Project FAQs
OHCHR’s mandate under resolution HRC 46/1 by UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, March 2021 SLAP FAQ-accountability-project_EN …What roles do victims and survivors have in the work of the new OHCHR Sri Lanka accountability project? Victims and survivors are a key part of each aspect of the work of the OHCHR Sri… Read more »