DMK patriarch Muthuvel Karunanidhi, a champion of federalism, showed how a regional party leader can become indispensible in the national political sphere by Dharani Thangavelu, ‘LiveMint,’ India, August 7, 2018 Chennai: It was the morning of July 15, 1953. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) members had launched a protest against the renaming of Kallakudi to Dalmiyapuram, near… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
UN SR Ben Emmerson’s Report on Sri Lanka
by UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson, July 24, 2018 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism on his mission to Sri Lanka Sri_LankaReportJuly2018.PDF A. Conclusions 59. In 2015, Sri Lanka seemed to have turned a corner. New elections brought to power a coalition government and with it the… Read more »
Sumathiran’s April Speech re Constitution
by M.A. Sumanthiran, University of Peredeniya, April 18, 2018 posted on TNA Politics.org in July 2018 Sumanthiran-SPEECH-PGIHS Keynote speech by M.A. Sumanthiran, 3rd April 2018, Research Congress, Inaugural session of the Post Graduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Peradeniya The Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya, Dean of Faculty of Arts, Director,… Read more »
Tackling Sri Lanka’s ‘Torturers’
From Point Pedro to Dondra Head by [no author noted], ‘The Sunday Times,’ Colombo, July 29, 2018 There is little doubt that the findings of United Nations Special Rapportuer on Countering Terrorism, Ben Emmerson on the sorry fate of Sri Lanka’s justice system, particularly in regard to the continuance of a ‘culture of impunity’ are… Read more »
Sri Lanka’s New Right-Wing Politics
by Jayadeva Uyangoda, ‘The Sunday Observer,’ Colombo, July 8, 2018 There are two new developments in Sri Lanka’s contemporary politics which is getting crystalized and clearer these days. They are: (a) the consolidation of a hard right-wing alternative to a weak and shaky democratic regime option, and (b) the projection of an ex-military officer as… Read more »
Protecting or Facilitating?
A review of the humanitarian response to IDP detention in Sri Lanka, 2009 All too often however, humanitarian organisations were poorly equipped with the time, skills and attitudes to address a situation where the state was not representing the interests of the population. In these cases, supporting the vulnerable means contesting state agendas, even where… Read more »
Sri Lanka Military Caught Red Handed While Misleading Public Inquiry
by Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, July 18, 2018 Military authorities in Sri Lanka have been providing incorrect information about sexual abuse by its soldiers and officers while on a UN peacekeeping mission. A joint press release issued on Tuesday (17) by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) has… Read more »
Sri Lankan ‘War Criminals’ Deployed as UN Peacekeepers
by Mark Townsend, ‘The Guardian,’ Manchester, July 21, 2018 The UN has been sending alleged war criminals to act as peacekeepers in conflict zones, a confidential report claims. The document, seen by the Observer, and sent to the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations last month, claims that senior Sri Lankan officers accused of war crimes have… Read more »
Sri Lankan Lawmakers Target Reporters in Times Investigation
by Maria Abi-Habib, ‘The New York Times,’ July 3, 2018 NEW DELHI — Angered by a New York Times investigation detailing how China seized ownership of a seaport in Sri Lanka, a group of Sri Lankan lawmakers denounced the newspaper on Monday, focusing their ire on two local journalists for the newspaper. On Monday night, the lawmakers,… Read more »
Political Confrontation will not Solve Humanitarian Issues
by Ananth Palakidnar, Ceylon Today, Colombo, July 15, 2018 Chairperson of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) Rev Fr. S.J. Emmanuel in a candid interview with Ceylon Today spelt out the shortcomings affecting the people in the North and East. He said as far as strengthening peace and reconciliation, apart from depending on politicians all right-thinking… Read more »
Justification for a Referendum
For the Tamils of Sri Lanka by Thambu Kanagasabai, July 8, 2018 The current situation affecting the Sri Lanka’s Tamils fairly and justifiably need a referendum to decide their own fate to guarantee their existence in Sri Lanka, if they were to avoid their gradual extinction in a country where they being the original inhabitants… Read more »
The Office for Reparations
An empty shell? by South Asian Centre for Legal Studies, Colombo, July 4, 2018 A few days ago, the Office for Reparations Bill was gazetted. According to the Bill, the Office is expected to play a role in the formulation and implementation of reparations policies for violations of human rights and humanitarian law that have… Read more »
The Chronic and the Entrenched
Ethno-Religious Violence in Sri Lanka by Gehan Gunatilleke, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, Colombo, 2018 http://ices.lk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/The-Chronic-and-the-Entrenched-Mr.-Gihan-Book-FINAL-WEB-PDF.pdf …This study set out to establish the hypothesis that ethno-religious violence in Sri Lanka is ‘entrenched’ within cultural, socio-political and state structures, and requires radical interventions to overcome. It first reflected on the nature of communal violence in Sri… Read more »
Waiting for Herr Hitler?
by Jayadeva Uyangoda, ‘Colombo Telegraph,’ June 24, 2018 Is Sri Lanka ready for an elected dictator? This is the latest question to enter Sri Lanka’s current political debate. Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s preparations to contest the next presidential election in 2019 have already precipitated a potentially explosive controversy that can last for weeks and months. An admirer of… Read more »
The United States’ Role in Sri Lanka’s Peace Process: 2002-2006
by Jeffrey Lunstead, Asia Foundation, 2007 A Supplementary Study to the Sri Lanka Strategic Conflict Assessment 2005 Lunstead US Role in SL Peace Process 2002-2006 Contents Acknowledgements About the Author Executive Summary 1. Introduction 2. U.S. Interests and Engagement in Sri Lanka 3. Enhanced U.S. Engagement 3.1 Enhanced U.S. Interest 3.2 U.S. Relations with the… Read more »
Frustration of Tamils in Sri Lanka
Dying, deceptive good governance & the frustration of Tamils in Sri Lanka by Thambu Kanagasabai, LLM [Lond.], Former Lecturer in Law, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, June 21, 2018 The Tamils in Sri Lanka are being pushed back to square one yet again by the present government of good governance. The Tamil National Alliance openly… Read more »
House Subcommittee Hearing on “Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka”
by US House Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, Washington, DC, June 20, 2018 https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/subcommittee-hearing-human-rights-concerns-in-sri-lanka/ https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=108444
Amnesty Statement on Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka
by Amnesty International USA, June 20, 2018 On June 20th, 2018, Amnesty International USA submitted a Congressional statement for the record in anticipation of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee Hearing on “Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka.” Please find a link below to the statement for the record: AIUSA-Statement-on-Human-Rights-Concerns-in-Sri-Lanka-Final-1.pdf Date: June 20, 2018 RE: House Foreign… Read more »
Rep. Sherman’s Remarks at the House Hearing on“Human Rights Concerns in Sri Lanka,”
by Rep. Brad Sherman, June 20, 2018 “… I am not a member of this subcommittee, but I have been very involved in Sri Lanka as ranking member of the Asia Subcommittee, which had its own hearing hence delaying me from being here. Although Sri Lanka’s civil war ended in 2009, Sri Lanka’s northern and… Read more »
MAP Submits Statement for House Hearing
US Congress Considers Human Rights in Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka Monitoring Accountability Panel Submitted a Statement WASHINTON, DC, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, June 20, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ — Today, 20 June 2018, the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the US Committee on Foreign Affairs heard evidence on “Human… Read more »