Posts Categorized: Economy

1990 Planned Genocidal Attack on Tamils in the East

Contents Planned genocidal attack in the East Carefully planned strategy Sri Lanka ignored ICJ recommendations Concerns of UK Parliamentary Human Rights Group Tamils driven out from Pottuvil to Thenmaravadi Several reports of large scale killings Refugees in Iruthayapuram Camp compelled to act as “human mine detectors” Attack on the Tamils clearly genocidal in intent “..The… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Icon of Colonial Rule rises from the Rubble

As an army of labourers churns out limestone bricks, archeologist Prashantha Mandawala reflects on the ambitious task of restoring Sri Lanka’s centuries-old Jaffna fort, destroyed by ethnic war. The project has so far included the dangerous task of clearing unexploded mines and shells from the seafront site and scouring the northern Jaffna peninsula for scarce… Read more »

The Insanity of Adding Any More Coal Power Plants

By Eng. Parakrama Jayasinghe, ‘The Island,’ Colombo, October 28, 2015 parajayasinghe /A_T/ gmail /D_O_T/ com (Part I of this article appeared yesterday) The Alternatives available While there are many renewable energy plants by the private developers have been approved and should come on line shortly, the CEB itself is planning to install 100 MW of… Read more »

ICES: Political Economy of Post-War Sri Lanka

ICES Political Economy of Post-War Sri Lanka There are three main conceptual flaws in this discourse. First, it wants to forget the war as a historical event. It wants to forget the war, how it ended and the implications of these events especially on the nature of the state in Sri Lanka. It ignores the… Read more »

Colombo Consensus 2.0

By Daniel Balazs, Patrick Mendis, ‘Foreign Policy,’ Washington, DC, October 1, 2015 The new Sri Lankan government is re-balancing its foreign policy, drifting away from China’s orbit toward a more equidistant engagement with India and the United States. With the growing economic importance of the Indian Ocean, the geo-strategically located Sri Lanka is becoming crucial… Read more »

World Bank on Integrating Island & Need for Empowering Local Govnts

Key challenges are how to manage the growth of the Kandy-Colombo-Galle region, in particular, the Metropolitan Colombo Region, and how to enhance connectivity of other single-city agglomerations with the Kandy-Colombo-Galle region so as realize their potential for economic growth and poverty alleviation…

Specifically, the report identified three areas where reform could address fundamental deficits – in empowerment, resources, and accountability:

· Improving intergovernmental fiscal relations to address empowerment.

· Identifying practical ways to increase the resources available to local governments to allow them to perform their mandated functions.

· Strengthening mechanisms to hold local governments accountable for their actions.

Addressing “Blocked Grief” in Jaffna

Six years after the end of the war the population in the North of Sri Lanka remains passive, ensnared in wartime mentality because they haven’t been able to express and deal with their sorrow and trauma. Professors from Jaffna University talk of a young generation incapable of envisioning a better future. While they demonstrated courage… Read more »

Systematic Colonization of the Northern and Eastern Provinces

by Veluppillai, Thangavelu, Nakkeran.com, December 13, 2012 Even before Sri Lanka (then Ceylon ) gained independence from British,  the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan government had a long-term plan to sponsor state aided colonisation to settle Sinhalese people from the south in  regions traditionally considered to be the homeland in the northern or eastern parts of… Read more »

Why No Gazette Notification on Release of Lands?

by TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 May 2015, 23:18 GMT It’s not merely enough to allow the people to resettle in the lands that were seized from them by the previous regime, which applied the proviso to 38(A) of the Land Acquisition Act (LAA) under the guise of ‘public use’ in permanently converting the lands for the… Read more »

Military and Poverty

by Dr. S. Santhirasegaram, Developing Country Studies, 2013 Santhirasegaram Military and Poverty 2013 5. Conclusion Military forces employed by 97 percent of majority Singhalese has been getting more economic benefits from expansion of security forces. Social welfare expenditure from independent to 1980s in Sri Lanka biased to majority and made political unrest and violent which… Read more »

Ecological Disaster in Vallikamam, North Sri Lanka

Donate to Sangam’s efforts to determine the extent & cause of the spill and work on clean-up. by Lankawebnews.com, March 4, 2015 There is an ecological disaster of serious proportions takingshape over the last few years with the effects already showing in the Vallikamam area of Northern Sri Lanka. It is being realized by the… Read more »

Sri Lankan President Assures Completion of Country’s Largest Irrigation Project on Schedule

[T]he President said it is a fulfillment of an expectation of the people in North-Central Province. He assured that when the project is successfully completed the water required for the farmers in North-Central Province for their farming activities will be provided from the Moragahakanda irrigation system. Recalling that he laid the foundation for the project in 2007 as the Minister of Mahaweli Development, he said funds for the project were not given for a period of five and half years.

He also held discussion with the project engineers, officials and all other resource personnel at the site. The Chinese Ambassador also joined the occasion.

The largest reservoir project under the Mahaweli River Development Program was launched to provide a domestic and industrial water supply to Anuradhapura, Trincomalee, and Polonnaruwa and Matale districts for the development of agriculture in the north, east, and northwestern provinces.

US A/S DRL in Sri Lanka

Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor: Forum on Women’s Role in Post-War Reconciliation 04/02/2015 11:35 AM EDT Forum on Women’s Role in Post-War Reconciliation Remarks Tom MalinowskiAssistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Colombo, Sri Lanka April 2, 2015 As prepared for delivery Thank you all for having me here today. Thanks particularly to Ms…. Read more »

US Foreign Assistance

http://www.foreignassistance.gov/web/OU.aspx?FromRGA=true&OUID=229&FY=2015&AgencyID=0&budTab=tab_Bud_Overview State and USAID: It has been nearly five years since the end of Sri Lankas 26 year civil war, and circumstances are more challenging than they were a year ago. Although Northern Provincial Council elections were held in September 2013, there has been little movement on reconciliation or accountability by the Government of Sri… Read more »

World Bank Data Indicators

http://data.worldbank.org/country/sri-lanka World Development Indicators School enrollment, primary (% gross) 98% 2012 Poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines (% of population) 6.7% 2013 8.9% 2010 15.2% 2007 22.7% 2002 28.8% 1996 Improved water source, rural (% of rural population with access) 93% 2012 92% 2011 90% 2010 89% 2009 87% 2008 Life expectancy at birth, total (years) 74 2012 GNI per capita, Atlas method (current… Read more »

A Remittance Dependent Import-Export Economy

View(s): The Sri Lankan economy is increasingly becoming a remittance dependent import-export economy. In the first half of this year remittances amounted to US$ 3.36 billion — a 10.6 per cent increase from that of the first half of last year. These remittances in the first half of the year almost wiped out the trade deficit,… Read more »