by Aditya Gowdara Shivamurthy, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi, August 14, 2023 Introduction Since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1948,[1] Sri Lanka and the United States (US) have had a tumultuous relationship broadly spanning the following phases: From the 1950s to 1970s, the US viewed Sri Lanka through the lens of the Cold War;… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
A Magic Wand
by Tisaranee Gunasekara, Colombo Telegraph, November 17, 2024 “Wishes come true, Not free.” Stephen Sondheim – In to the Woods The Grimm version is known wider but the Turkish one cuts deeper. In both tales, the boy goes in search of fear and finds a crown. In the Grimm version, fear comes when a pail of cold… Read more »
AKD’s Resolve To Mend Ethnic Fault-lines Laudable
But Challenges Abound! by Mohamed Harees, Colombo Telegraph, November 12, 2024 Lukman Harees The largest lie of all—that the country depended on the elite rulers, benefits from their rule, and owes them silent loyalty entirely collapsed. The historic election of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the President of Sri Lanka on September 21st was indeed the beginning of… Read more »
The Will to Freedom
An Inside View of Tamil Resistance by Adele Balasingham, London, October 6, 2001 Front Cover Maps Photos Introduction 1 New Horizons 2 Inside The Tigers’ Den 3 Turbulent Times in India 4 The Indo LTTE War 5 Hunted By The Indian Army 6 Premadasa – LTTE Talks 7 Living amid War in Jaffna 8 Tribulations in Vanni Post Script Annexure Abbreviations Back Cover… Read more »
The Tamil Nadu Model of Doing Business
From EVs to gorilla glass, the southern state bags marquee investments by Menaka Doshi, Bloomberg News India Edition Newsletter, October 3, 2024 This week: The Gujarat model may soon be replaced by Tamil Nadu, an excellent monsoon and Bengaluru’s new neighbor. Tamil Nadu vs. Vietnam It’s raining investments in Tamil Nadu, as the state nets… Read more »
SLCPJ: A New Era?
An Analysis of the Sri Lankan Elections and the Implications for Truth and Justice by Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, London, October 27, 2024 The 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election marked a pivotal moment in the country’s political landscape and in geopolitics, with Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) / National People’s… Read more »
SLCPJ: Thirty Years of Failure
Sri Lanka’s Domestic Accountability and Human Rights Processes by Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace & Justice, London, December 2022 SLCPJ 2022-Dec-Failure-of-Domestic-Accountability-Mechanisms A brief overview of Sri Lanka’s history of domestic accountability and human rights processes, from 1989 to the present day. Introduction Whenever the possibility of an international investigation of human rights violations is raised,… Read more »
Out with the Old, In with the New – for Tamils Too
Sri Lanka elections by Mario Arulthas, Tamil Guardian, London, October 28, 2024 Sri Lanka’s so-called “political earthquake” saw the election of a president from outside the traditional political elites for the first time. Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s election, while an obvious upset and challenge to the ruling elite, promises to maintain some of the more embedded, structural… Read more »
JVP Always Denied Eezham Tamils’ Inalienable Self-determination
Anthropology scholar by TamilNet, Norway, September 21, 2024 The JVP has recently lent itself to US efforts to consolidate the unitary state and realise its long-held ambition to capture state power in Colombo. In this regard, they have also engaged with a range of actors, from the IMF, Washington, and New Delhi, as well as… Read more »
The Genesis of the Sri Lankan Unitary State
and the Call for Eelam Tamil Self-Determination by Sahithyan Thilipkumar, December 2023 Master Thesis at University of Zurich’s Faculty of Law Master_Thesis_Sahithyan_Thilipkumar_ZORA 6. Conclusion Contemporary discussions on the conflict in Sri Lanka often start with the country’s independence or the beginning of the war. My thesis examined how the basis of the conflict was laid… Read more »
BTF: President Elect – the Challenge Faced by Tamil Nation
by British Tamils Forum, October 4, 2024 BTF press release re 2024 presidential election FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE President elect — the challenge faced by Tamil nation. Forge a strategic alliance and face any future democratic process unitedly When the nation has been struggling under the regime of successive nefarious governments, the arrival of the newly… Read more »
The 2024 Winds of Change Have Not Yet Reached Southern Lanka
By Gogol G. on his/her blog ‘Voices from Exile,’ October 2, 2024We’re 3/4 of the way through the year of 2024. The year 2024 was considered the biggest year for democratic elections in the world. Not all elections are free and fair societies, so the real questions were/are how the elections of India, France, UK, European Union… Read more »
Washington’s Mixed Messages
Tamil Guardian editorial, October 12, 2024 It has been a week of mixed messaging from Washington on Sri Lanka. In Geneva on Wednesday, the United States as a leading member of the Core Group, successfully led a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on accountability for war crimes and called for an end to impunity… Read more »
Why Did Tamils & Muslims 0f the North & East Reject JVP-Led Alliance?
by Imtiyaz Razak, Colombo Telegraph, September 30, 2024 Introduction Sri Lanka’s recently concluded 9th presidential elections culminated in a notable victory for the Marxist JVP, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who secured the presidency after a second ballot count. The election results underscore a significant electoral divide: while a majority of Southern Sinhala-Buddhists rallied behind… Read more »
USIP: Sri Lanka’s New President
Faces Daunting Challenges and High Hopes by United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC, October 1, 2024 KEY TAKEAWAYS Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s election is the culmination of Sri Lanka’s 2022 protests against the status quo. Addressing Sri Lanka’s economic and financial challenges will be Dissanayake’s most difficult task. He will have to carefully balance relations… Read more »
HRW: UN Rights Council Should Extend Crucial Mandate
International Monitoring, Investigations Critical Amid Ongoing Violations, Impunity by Human Rights Watch, New York, October 2, 2024 (Geneva) – The United Nations Human Rights Council should adopt a resolution on Sri Lanka to enable continued UN monitoring, reporting, and evidence collection of rights violations for future prosecutions, Human Rights Watch said today. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who was elected on September 21, 2024,… Read more »
What Bangladesh Can Do to Get Back Laundered Wealth
by Tasneem Raihan, The Daily Star, Bangladesh, October 1, 2024 Over the past 15 years, people from various sectors—including politicians, businesspeople, bureaucrats, and police officials—have reportedly laundered over $100 billion abroad. This figure is likely underestimated, but even if it’s close to the actual amount, the implications are staggering. To put this into context, $100 billion is… Read more »
Letter to the President: A Clarion Call for Fairness
by Roy Ratnavel, Canada, October 1, 2024 Ratnavel letter to new Pres. Dissanayake Oct 1 2024 October 1, 2024. His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake President Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Dear Mr. President, Please accept my warmest congratulations on your election victory. As you embark upon your new responsibilities as the ninth Executive President of… Read more »
What Sri Lanka’s Election Means for India
Another political shake-up in New Delhi’s neighborhood shouldn’t have a major impact on bilateral ties. by Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Policy, Washington, DC, September 24, 2024 The economy was undoubtedly the central issue in Sri Lanka’s presidential election on Sept. 21—unlike in past votes, when ethnic divides between the Sinhala Buddhist majority and the Tamil minority… Read more »
Meet Sri Lanka’s Next President
by Michael Kugelman, Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief, Washington, DC. September 25, 2024 Presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake leaves a polling station after casting his ballot in Sri Lanka’s presidential election in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sept. 21.Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory in Sri Lanka’s presidential election on Saturday granted the… Read more »