The shrinking space for NGOs can be viewed as a microcosm of broader trends on the island. Peoples’ freedom of movement and freedom of association are consistently curtailed, especially in the north. A restrictive media environment illustrates the fact that the freedom of expression is limited. The government’s unwillingness to promote human rights, reconciliation, or accountability has made a complex post-war environment even more unsustainable. And continued (and unnecessary) militarization has only made things worse. The regime’s recent crackdown on NGOs is another example of the government’s relentless effort to further centralize power and stifle dissent.
Posts Categorized: Government
Northern Education System Review Report 2014
NPEduReviewReportEng 2014 NPEduReviewReporttamil Provincial Dept. of Education – Northern Province Executive Summary The Northern Education System Review (NESR) was conceived by the newly elected Hon. Minister of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Affairs Mr. Thambirajah Gurukularajah soon after the election of the first Provincial Government of the North. He invited all the senior members… Read more »
Sri Lanka Moves to Silence NGOs, Press Groups
The Sri Lankan government has taken yet another step to silence critical media coverage, banning non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from holding press conferences and issuing press releases, as well as running workshops or training sessions. The action, announced Sunday by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense, left the country’s many press groups wondering whether they are even… Read more »
US Dismayed by P’ment Vote on Non-Cooperation with UN Probe
Asked why US-led resolutions at the UNHRC were increasingly harsher, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary noted that five years after the war ended there had been little progress on issues related to accountability and a political solution to share power with the island’s Tamil community.
“Five years since the war ended I have not seen any meaningful negotiations of the very tricky political issues related to federalism,” Keshap asserted.
TULF, 13th Amendment & Devolution
TULF’s letter to Indian PM Rajeev Gandhi on 13th Amendment – TULFs_disappointment_with_13th_Amendment_Bill “We feel it our duty to also express our disappointment with the proposals to solve the Tamil problem contained in the two Bills – the 13th Amendment to the constitution and the Provincial Councils Bill – presented to Parliament by the Sri Lanka Government…. Read more »
War, Peace and the Manufacturing of Rajapaksa Myths
The post-war Rajapaksa meta-narrative is aimed buttressing the connection between the majority ethno-religious community and the country’s new rulers. It is premised on three main myths – the myth of eternal national insecurity, the myth of miraculous development and the myth of the infallible hero-king. The three myths reinforce each other; in confluence they create and sustain the socio-psychological soil necessary for the new Rajapaksa dynasty to take root and flourish.
NPC Resolution Requesting Assistance on Teachers & MDs
SriLanka_NPC_Resolution_22May2014_English SriLanka_NPC_Resolution_22May2014_Tamil —- The recent resolution by the Northern Provincial Council requesting assistance from India and Tamil Nadu governments. The following resolution was tabled by the Council Member Hon M.K. Shivajilingam and adopted by the Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka on May 22, 2014 RESOLUTION Calling upon India to provide Tamil speaking doctors, and teachers for… Read more »
CPJ: Impunity Index 2014
4 Sri Lanka
Impunity Index Rating: 0.443 unsolved journalist murders per million inhabitants
Last year: Ranked 4th with a rating of 0.431
The Case for Nationalism
Another factor in this resurgence is a change of intellectual fashion toward bigness. Fewer people in all classes are still confident that the future belongs to the big battalions. They have noticed that smaller states are likely to be richer, easier to manage and closer to the people than larger states. As the Economist magazine pointed out a few years ago: “Of the 10 countries with populations of over 100 [million], only the U.S. and Japan are prosperous.”
These economic facts remove an important obstacle to secession. And if there ever was a link between prosperity and bigness, it has been dissolved by free trade and globalization, which ensure that the size of a nation need no longer coincide with the size of the market open to it. At the same time, a government can shrink to the size that its citizens find most convenient to control.
The U.S. is the exception to these rules—it is both large and prosperous—because its federalism distributes power to states and localities, where it can be better controlled. Switzerland is another example. Europe might imitate America’s success if it were to model itself on Switzerland and distribute power downward. But the opposite is happening—in both Europe and America.
Spreadsheets and Global Mayhem
Using machine-learning tools to draw inferences about the effects of each piece of information they analyzed, the researchers compiled a list of 15 countries facing the highest risk of genocide between 2011 and 2015. Central African Republic, which had been on no one’s radar at the time, came out at the top, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad. Also on the list were some obvious contenders with continuing strife: Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria. They didn’t get everything right: Sri Lanka was on the list, but has witnessed no outbreaks of mass violence since 2011 — not yet, anyway.
TAG: Sri Lanka’s ‘Rehabilitation’ of LTTE
TAG Rehabilitation Report January 2014 Figures’ vary,’ but’ approximately’ 12,000′ former’ Liberation’ Tigers’ of’ Tamil’ Eelam’ (LTTE)’ members’have’been’‘rehabilitated’’since’the’end’of’the’war’and’‘reintegrated’’back’into’society.1… Having’ focussed’on’ the’details’of’ the’programme,’on’what’ the’GoSL’claims’it’ to’be,’and’what’ TAG’s’sources’report’of’it,’we’look’beyond’the’programme’itself,’to’wider’government’policies,’ to’historical’events’including’the’conduct’of’the’war’and’to’consideration’of’the’nature’of’the’Sri’ Lankan’state.’In’light’of’this’we’contend’that’rehabilitation’is’one’aspect’of’a’coordinated’plan’of’ different’actions’aimed’at’the’destruction’of’essential’foundations’of’the’life’of’the’Tamil’people’ of’Sri’Lanka. 2” also at
Tamil Lawyers Forum Statement
Yet another Presidential Commission was appointed in August 2013 to look into the allegations of disappearances in Sri Lanka due to the incessant demands of the families of the disappeared and the international community. The Commission began its sittings in January this year starting with public sittings in Killinochchi. The Commission is mandated to look into… Read more »
Making Provincial Administration Work in the North
“The concept of devolution is used to mean the delegation of central government power without relinquishment of supremacy.” (Sri Lanka Law Reports (SLLR) 1987/2- page 327)
Speeches at London Conference
In English Prof. Guruparan Speaks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXjY2c3a6bA Indian activist Mrs Medha Patkar Pravin Speakshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ehSCkdgro In Tamil MP Ariannendran Speaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3CjBvnjEM EPC Councillor Thadayuthapani Speaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_3RjeXarrI MP Mavi Senathirajah Speaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8_0qweETQ8 MP Sritharan Speaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a28d07mA_t4 Prof. P.Ramasamy Speaks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK70gcjNsAs http://sangam.org/london-conference-explores-nature-land-grabs-tamil-homeland/ http://sangam.org/conference-state-grabs-tamil-land/
London Conference Explores Nature of Land Grabs in Tamil Homeland
Academics, legal experts, activists, journalists, and Eezham Tamil politicians gathered in London to discuss Sri Lankan state facilitated land grabs in the Eezham Tamils homeland, its nature, its effects, and possible solutions, at a conference on Saturday. While all of the presenters were in consensus that land grabs in the Tamil homeland was a phenomena… Read more »
We Will Continue to Agitate for Devolution
Only a total of 1876 million rupees has been allocated for capital expenditure out of a total sum of 15,520 million rupees. When we divide these paltry 1876 million rupees among all five districts of the North, one could realise the insufficiency of funds to each district of the Northern Province. This amount is sufficient only to construct about 17 kms of road at present cost.
“Tamil People Are Gravely Harmed”
by TNAPolitics.org, January 30, 2014 The Central Committee meeting of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi was held on January 26, 2014 at the Town Hall, Trincomalee. The meeting was attended by representatives from all districts in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The meeting which commenced at 10.30 a.m. under the chairmanship of R. Sampanthan M.P…. Read more »
Why International Pressure Has Become Necessary
There is a belief that a presidential or general election will be held later this year or early next year, following on the provincial elections. The government’s reluctance to accommodate a political solution to minority ethnic grievances at this time would seem to come from its calculation that it cannot afford to lose its hold over the Sinhalese majority electorate in the context of impending elections. This is an electorate that can give the government a permanent majority and the prospect of long term rule so long as it does not fracture. The issue on which the Sinhalese electorate is most likely to get divided on is that of a political solution to the ethnic conflict. Therefore the government is unwilling to change its policy with regard to the ethnic minorities or implement the devolution of powers to the North.
NPC Chief Minister Wigneswaran on Good Governance
by ‘Colombo Telegraph,’ January 20, 2014 New Year 2014 is starting well for us. The War had got us into a cocoon in which we managed howsoever we could, not really appreciating the changes taking place locally and globally all around us. We failed to appreciate the nuances of political or administrative terminology too. We… Read more »
The Irrelevancy of the 13th Amendment
by Kumaravadivel Guruparan, ‘Junior Bar Law Review,’ October, 2013 Article_on_13A_for_Junior_Bar_Law_Review_(Oct_2013) 4. Conclusion I have tried to demonstrate in this article that given the structural deficiencies of the 13th!Amendment that it fails to even perform the role of a reference point to a discourse on a political solution. This article calls for and tries to provide the… Read more »