Posts Categorized: Government

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 »

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 »

Colonization Schemes

by Hon.R.Sampanthan-MP, TNAPolitics.org, December 15, 2013 I am happy to follow the Minister, the Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who, I think, in the course of his statement referred to the multifarious problems that exist in the North and the East pertaining to State land. I will be dealing with some of these issues in the course… Read more »

A List of Commissions and Committees Appointed by GoSL (2006- 2013)

by Centre for Policy Alternatives, Colombo 9 January 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has produced a table that contains basic information pertaining to Commissions of Inquiry (CoI) and committees appointed by the Government since coming into power in November 2005. Section I of the table examines the CoI and Section… Read more »

Tamil Council to Count Sri Lanka War Casualties

COLOMBO, December 26, 2013 (AFP) – The provincial government in Sri Lanka’s main Tamil region said Thursday it would compile its own death toll from the country’s ethnic war, saying an ongoing census would play down the number of casualties. Tamil officials said the census ordered by President Mahinda Rajapakse last month would give a… Read more »

Tamil Tragedy

by Bhekuzulu Khumalo, ‘Washington Times’ Communities blog, December 12, 2013 WASHINGTON, December 12, 2013 — Congress recently created the Congressional Caucus on Ethnic and Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka. The Caucus was initiated by efforts of Congressmen Bill Johnson (R-OH) and Danny Davis (D-IL). The objective of the Caucus is to bring the attention of the… Read more »

Sampanthan Speech on Land Issues

I am happy to follow the Minister, the Hon. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon, who, I think, in the course of his statement referred to the multifarious problems that exist in the North and the East pertaining to State land. I will be dealing with some of these issues in the course of my speech. Lands, Sir,… Read more »

British Commonwealth and the Sovereignty Claim of the Tamil Nation

In 1796, according to the Armenian Treaty, the British East India Company became the ruler of the Maritime Provinces of Ceylon which were ruled by the Dutch who ruled the Tamil and Sinhala territories separately. At the time of this change, there were two independent native kingdoms namely Vanni and Kandy which existed in the island of Ceylon. British administration considered that these native kingdoms, which were ruled, respectively by Panadra Vanniyan and Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe were obstacles for the expansion of their rule to the rest of the territory. These original kingdoms and their rulers were conquered in 1804 and 1815 respectively.

India Won’t Rest till Implementation of 13th Amendment P Chidambaram

“None can deny that there was genocide. We will continue to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government for an elaborate probe. I call upon the people of India, including Tamils here to support the government’s efforts to protect the 13th amendment, while Lankan government is trying to not implement it,” he said.