Posts Categorized: Politics

A View from the North

Presidential Elections by Groundviews, Colombo, May 27, 2024 For the first time, Sri Lanka’s presidential election in October will have three main contenders – President Ranil Wickremesinghe contesting under an independent symbol, the SJB represented by Sajith Premadasa and the NPP/JVP by Anura Kumara Dissanayake. There is speculation about a common Tamil candidate as well as rumours… Read more »

Middle-aged Politics?

by Nillanthan Maha, Jaffna, June 1, 2024 [translated from the original Tamil by Google Translate, with improvements by the Editor.] A friend who is a medical professional recently asked, “If my child asks why he should not go abroad, is there any valid reason for me to tell him why you should stay in the… Read more »

Am I A Settler Too?

Reflections of a Sinhalese from Sri Lanka after Gaza by Nalin Jayathunga, Polity.lk, Colombo, April 29, 2024 Mapping temporal and spatial lines between the past and the present, this reflection draws parallels between the Palestinian genocide and the Tamil genocide. It is premised on my moral conundrum of protesting the genocide currently unfolding in Gaza,… Read more »

Second Arrest inn UK’s Sri Lanka War Crimes Investigation

Police appeal for information by uknip427 (UK News in Pictures, June 5, 2024 Counter Terrorism detectives investigating allegations of war crimes linked to the Sri Lankan civil war in the early 2000s are appealing for anyone who might have information that could assist their investigation to contact police. The appeal comes after a second UK-based… Read more »

Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields Cast a Long Shadow

Impunity for crimes committed during the civil war has fuelled post-war repression in Sri Lanka. by Al Jazeera, May 18, 2024 By Madura Rasaratnam and Ambihai Akilan Published On 18 May 202418 May 2024 Today we mark the 15th anniversary of the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s three-decades-long civil war. This anniversary comes around at a critical historical… Read more »

HRW: Crackdown Over Civil War Anniversary

UN Report Calls for International Prosecutions for Enforced Disappearances by Human Rights Watch, New York, May 23, 2024 (Geneva) – Sri Lankan authorities have threatened and detained Tamils commemorating those who died or went missing in the country’s civil war, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 17, 2024, the United Nations human rights office issued a report calling… Read more »

Legacy of Enforced Disappearances Haunts Sri Lanka

by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, May 21, 2024 “I have been looking for my son since 2009. I am now 72 years old and I will leave this world soon. Maybe I will get to see my son again or at least find out where he is buried,” said Kamala*…. Read more »

US Congress House Resolution 1230

by US House of Representatives, Washington, DC, May 15, 2024 Mr. NICKEL (for himself, Ms. Susan WILD, Mr. Danny DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. Nicole MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. Mike CAREY, Mr. Dan DAVIS of North Carolina, Ms. Summer LEE of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Jeff JACKSON of North Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the… Read more »

OHCHR: Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka must ensure accountability for decades of enforced disappearances – UN report by UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, May 17, 2024 report-accountability-enforced-disappearances-sri-lanka-may2024-en GENEVA (17 May 2024) – Sri Lanka’s Government must take meaningful action to determine and disclose the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who… Read more »

Sri Lanka: Accountability Needed for Enforced Disappearances

Sri Lanka must ensure accountability for decades of enforced disappearances – UN report UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights press release, Geneva, May 17, 2024 GENEVA (17 May 2024) – Sri Lanka’s Government must take meaningful action to determine and disclose the fates and whereabouts of tens of thousands of people who… Read more »

OHCHR Report – Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka

by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, May 17, 2024 Full report, with summary in English, Tamil & Sinhalese – Accountability for Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka – OHCHR report | OHCHR OHCHR report re accountability for enforced disappearances May 2024 Summary:  Unofficial document This report, issued pursuant to the United Nations… Read more »

Joint Declaration by the People of Tamil Nadu

by a variety of political parties from Tamil Nadu, February 3, 2024 TN_Joint_Declaration_2024-Tamil TN_Joint_Declaration_2024-English Eelam Tamils Independence Referendum Conference – 2024 Joint Declaration by the People of Tamil Nadu Chennai, Tamil Nadu – February 03, 2024 Whereas from time immemorial, the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil people of Eelam on the island presently… Read more »

The India Factor in Sri Lanka’s Renewable Energy Sector

by Rathindra Kuruwita, The Island, Colombo, March 7, 2024 A recent India-Sri Lanka agreement for constructing renewable energy systems in three islands off the Jaffna coast reaffirms India’s domination of the sector. On March 1, the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority, the Government of Sri Lanka, and U-Solar Clean Energy Solutions from India signed an… Read more »

Enforced Disappearance Legal Database

by European Human Rights Advocacy Centre, London, March 24, 2024 Enforced Disappearance Legal Database – Enforced Disappearance Legal Database (ehrac.org.uk) The Enforced Disappearance Legal Database (EDLD) contains the leading jurisprudence, legislation and soft law on the autonomous offence of enforced disappearance as developed by human rights mechanisms around the world. The EDLD seeks to promote… Read more »

Modi’s Party Doesn’t Control All of India. But He’s Working on It

As an election nears, political strife between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition-held states is straining the federal formula that holds India together. by Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar, The New York Times,  March 23, 2024 Reporting from Chennai and New Delhi in India Published March 23, 2024Updated March 25, 2024, 12:09 p.m. ET It is the final frontier for… Read more »

TG: Sinhala Buddhism Unleashed

Tamil Guardian editorial, London, March 17, 2024 The Sri Lankan state is on a concerted mission. Following a long history of killings and massacres, it is fervently pursuing a more insidious endeavour across the North-East, attempting to erase Eelam Tamil existence. Buddhist monuments are being purposefully constructed, whilst attempts to seize Tamil-owned land have persevered… Read more »

Thinking as a Nation in the Time of YouTubers

by Nillanthan Maha, March 16, 2024 Published by Uthayan, Jaffna, March 17, 2024 [Translated from the original Tamil, with some improvement by the Editor.] On the 9th, the police raided the Shiva shrine on Vedukunari hill. Eight people were arrested. The day after they were imprisoned, on the 10th, on the last day of the… Read more »

“Col” Karuna’s Eastern Tiger Revolt

Against LTTE 20 years ago by DBS Jeyaraj, Daily Mirror, Colombo, March 16, 2024 Karuna projected himself as the “Eastern national leader”, second only to Prabhakaran in the Tiger hierarchy Karuna kept LTTE resistance alive during the days of the IPKF. He and his former deputy Reagan led the counter offensive against the ill-fated Tamil… Read more »