Posts Categorized: History

Tamil Militancy in Sri Lanka and the Role of Religion

by Iselin Frydenlund, pre-publication version for Oxford Research Encyclopedias, UK, September 26, 2018 Tamil Militancy in Sri Lanka and the Role of Religion …Fundamentally, the conflict in Sri Lanka is about failed nation-building in the postcolonial state, demographic politics, access to resources, and political influence, and it follows ethnic and linguistic lines. Religion—that is, Buddhism—has… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Sixth Amendment

a Violation of UN Charter and Fundamental Human Rights by Thambu Kanagasabai, PRESIDENT, The Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Organization Late President JR Jayewardene of Sri Lanka after allowing and being complicit in the massacres of Tamils in the 1977, 1983 pogroms and justifying them as a normal reaction of Sinhalese to take revenge… Read more »

A Qualitative Analysis on Historicizing Nationalist Discourse

of the Origins of the Communities of Sri Lanka among the Contemporary Sinhalese by Jeyaseelan Gnanaseelan, University of Vavuniya, Melbourne Australia Nov 29-30, 2017, 19 (11) Part XIV A_Qualitative_Analysis_on_Historicizing Abstract— In the post-war reconciliation context, the Sri Lankans need to develop constructive discourse on political harmony, cohesion and co-habitation to make a positive impact on… Read more »

Building the Tamil Eelam State

Emerging State Institutions and Forms of Governance in LTTE-controlled Areas in Sri Lanka by Kristian Stokke, Third World Quarterly, Vol.27, No.6, pages 1021-1040, 2006 Abstract Sri Lanka’s civil war has created a political–territorial division between the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), where LTTE is engaged in a process… Read more »

The Sri Lankan Peace Process at a Crossroads

Lessons, Opportunities and Ideas for Principled Negotiations and Conflict Transformation by Tyrol Ferdinands, Kumar Rupesinghe, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Jayadeva Uyangoda, Norbert Ropers, January 2004 The_Sri_Lankan_Peace_Process_at_a_Crossroads__Lessons_Opportunities_and_Ideas_for_Principled_Negotiations_and_Conflict_Transformation Executive Summary and Recommendations The Sri Lankan peace process is at a crossroads.  Seven months after it withdrew from the talks, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) presented their proposal… Read more »

ICRC 1995 Annual Report

by International Committee of the Red Cross, May 31, 1996 ICRC 1995 annual report for Sri Lanka    

History of the Land Grab

Of the Tamil homeland by the Sinhalese by Marvanpulavu K. Satchithananthan, Kaathalaham, Chennai, [no date, but probably ~1995] M K Sachithananthan History of Land Grab

Statement by the President on the Situation in Sri Lanka and Detainee Photographs

by US President Barack Obama, Office of the Press Secretary, The White House, Washington, DC, May 13, 2009 For Immediate Release                              May 13, 2009 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA AND DETAINEE PHOTOGRAPHS South Drive 4:12 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Good to see… Read more »

Tsunami Disaster & the People in the Northeast

of the island of Sri Lanka by Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, December 29, 2004 Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation Media Release Press Conference at Swiss TRO Headquarters, Geneva “Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation has grave concerns that our ability to respond in a timely manner is being hindered by excessive administrative, bureaucratic and control requirements ”  Contact: Director, Disaster Management… Read more »

The LTTE and the 2002-2006 Peace Process in Sri Lanka

The Politics of Transformation by Suthaharan Nadarajah & Luxshi Vimalarajah, Berghof Research Center for Constructive Conflict Management, Switzerland, 2008 The_Politics_of_Transformation_the_LTTE Introduction The conflict in Sri Lanka is one of the world’s most protracted and multi-faceted. It has been aptly described as a conflict “where economic, political and cultural deprivation and grievances of a minority have… Read more »

2004 Tsunami

Note the divergence in information on number of casualties, etc.  The NorthEast of Sri Lanka was one area severely under-counted due to lack of facilities and official interest. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-24/boxing-day-tsunami-how-the-disaster-unfolded/5977568 January 2007 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/29459974_The_Economic_Effects_of_the_Asian_Tsunami_on_the_Tear_Drop_in_the_Indian_Ocean_A_General_Equilibrium_Analysis https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/25/where-did-indian-ocean-tsunami-aid-money-go  

Organized Encroachments on State Land by Indian Tamils

Results of physical survey done on 1983 Settled since 198(illegible) by Gandhian Movement Documents dated 22-Feb-92, difficult to read due to being a copy & age. Organized Encroachment on State Land by Indian Tamils   Pages 1-2 Organized Encroachments on State Land by Indian Tamils              

Civil War Along Ethnoreligious Lines

by Berkley Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, August 1, 2013 This case study addresses the underlying ethnic and religious tensions behind the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009), a conflict led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) on behalf of the Hindu Tamil minority against the Sri Lankan government and the Buddhist Sinhalese majority…. Read more »

Why was Ranil Politically Assassinated by Prabha in 2005?

by KKS Perera, Daily Mirror, Colombo, October 14, 2019   Prabhakaran gambled hoping for an easier challenger Ranil’s meek reaction to Dissanayake rhetoric on Karuna and unreliable nature during the peace-talks The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) effectively chose the President of Sri Lanka in 2005. Yes, the Tigers did it – a few… Read more »

Historicizing Nationalist Discourse of the Origins of the Communities of Sri Lanka among the Contemporary Sinhalese

A qualitative analysis by Jeyaseelan Gnanaseelan, (periodical unspecified), Melbourne, Australia, November 29-30, 2017 Historicizing Nationalist Discourse Abstract In the post-war reconciliation context, the Sri Lankans need to develop constructive discourse on political harmony, cohesion and co-habitation to make a positive impact on legislative changes towards post-conflict reconciliation, sustainable peace and justice. Ideological discourse constitutes power… Read more »

Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 59

Queries over Premadasa’s slaying by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 58 On May 1, 1993, President Ranasinghe Premadasa was near Sulaiman Hospital, in Messenger Street, Colombo, mixing with the crowds, busy organizing the ruling United National Party’s (UNP) May Day procession, which was proceeding towards Galle Face Green, where the… Read more »

Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 58

Premadasa indicted by K T Rajasingham, ‘Asian Times,’ Singapore, 2002 Chapter 1 Chapter 57 When President Chandrika Kumaratunga came to power, after putting an end to the UNP’s 17 years of rule in 1994, she launched a Special Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali, which had been an election promise. On December… Read more »