Another Travesty of Justice by M.K. Eelaventhan, December 27, 2016 The recent acquittal of six accused in the political murder trial of late MP Raviraj is not surprising. It is yet another expected verdict from the Sri Lankan judiciary. It would have been a real surprise if the accused were convicted, as in the Sri… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Politics
HRW: UN GA Adopts Resolution on War Crimes Investigations
by Human Rights Watch, New York, December 21, 2016 On December 21, 2016, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing a mechanism to assist in the investigation of serious crimes committed in Syria since 2011. “The General Assembly today demonstrated that it can take the reins on questions of justice in the face of Security Council deadlock. The countries that voted for this unprecedented… Read more »
Window for Economic Take-off Narrowing
by Economy Next, December 21, 2016 Sri Lanka is in a period of dangerous policy drift with mediocre governance which is inherently unstable with the danger of falling back to a ‘big man illiberal’ politics is getting nearer, a top economist and policy analyst has said. It is two years since the Rajapaksa regime was… Read more »
Yahapalanaya in Sri Lanka: Remains of the Day
by Prof. Jayadeva Uyangoda, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, December 5, 2016 Groundviews is celebrating its tenth anniversary at a time when there is little else to celebrate in Sri Lanka. Particularly sad is the ways in which President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe are ruining whatever little that remains in the political potential of their… Read more »
Autonomy to North East under Federalism is our Demand
by Kelum Bandara, ‘Daily Mirror,’ Colombo, December 15, 2016 Q How do you analyse the current political situation of the North? Our people are worried today because both the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), as the two main parties, talk about a political solution within a unitary State. We,… Read more »
CM Jayalalitha & Federalism
by Garga Chatterjee, ‘First Post,’ India, December 10, 2016 Does Jayalalithaa’s death signal the fall of federalism in Indian democracy? The death of J Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and supremo of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), calls for an assessment of her and the party’s political role in her… Read more »
Remembering Bala Anna 10 years On
by Tamil Guardian, London, December 14, 2016 Today marks 10 years since the passing of Anton Balasingham, the chief negotiator and political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Mr Balasingham – or Bala Anna as he was fondly known – was deeply adored by the Tamil people. His charismatic addresses drew tens… Read more »
Mission Impossible?
by MCM Iqbal, ‘Groundviews,’ Colombo, December 11, 2016 During the past few years much has been spoken and written about the need for reconciliation between the different communities in Sri Lanka. The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse to hear what was needed to be done to bring about… Read more »
Only 5.2% of Sri Lankan Military Occupied Land has been Released to Tamils
by P.K. Balachandran, The New Indian Express, December 11, 2016 COLOMBO: The Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, C.V.Wigneswaran, has said that out of the 67,000 acres of private lands of the Tamils seized by the Sri Lankan armed forces during the war, only 3,500 acres have been returned so far. Since the war… Read more »
Clinton & the IMF
Clinton pressured IMF to not give loans to Sri Lanka: Min. Amunugama by LankaBusinessOnline, Colombo, December 7, 2016 Dec 07, 2016 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Special Assignments Minister Sarath Amunugama today revealed that Hillary Clinton forced IMF not to approve a loan facility to Sri Lanka when she was working as the US secretary of… Read more »
How to Achieve a Ceasefire
by Daniel Spector, ‘Simon-Evertt.com,’ July 22, 2016 For nearly two years, Simon Everett has been designing and coordinating area studies courses at the Department of State for diplomats who are heading to their next assignments overseas. We’re fortunate to have an exceptional cadre of regional experts leading those courses. They have lived and traveled all… Read more »
Sri Lanka’s War Cost US$ 200 Billion
by News.in Asia, Colombo, December 12, 2016 Colombo, December 13 (The New Indian Express): Sri Lanka’s internal war which ended in May 2009, had cost the country around US$ 200 billion according to India’s former National Security Adviser and Foreign Secretary, Shivshankar Menon. In his book Choices: Inside the Making of India’s Foreign Policy ,… Read more »
UNHRC Sessions March 2017 & Sri Lanka
by Thambu Kanagasabai, Toronto, December 10, 2016 Sri Lanka became a member of the United Nations in 1955, bound with obligations to observe the provisions of the United Nations and other United Nations Conventions. Some of the most important Conventions ratified by Sri Lanka are as follows:- International Convention on the Elimination of all forms… Read more »
Revolutionary Heroes
by Blake Smith, ‘Aeon,’ London, December 7, 2016 If the sultan of Mysore had had a bit more luck, George Washington might be known as the Haider Ali of North America. As the ruler of Mysore, a kingdom in what is now southwestern India, Haider fought a series of wars with Great Britain in the… Read more »
Remembering and Rebuilding
by Tamil Guardian, London, November 27, 2016 Today, Tamils across the globe will collectively light candles, lay flowers and bow heads in memory of those who gave their lives resisting state oppression. Marking the legacy of these heroes has become an integral moment of solidarity for the entire nation. In the Tamil homeland, commemorations have… Read more »
Jayalalitha Tribute
by M.K. Eelaventhan, Toronto, December 7, 2016 Jayalalitha, the voice of the voiceless Eelam Tamils, have been prematurely muted. We feel politically orphaned, but her name is etched deeply in the hearts of Eelam Tamils. The untimely demise of Jayalalitha, the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu at age 68 is an irrepairable loss not only to… Read more »
Torture Is ‘Common Practice’ in Sri Lanka
by Nick Cummings-Bruce, ‘The New York Times,’ December 7, 2016 GENEVA — President Maithripala Sirisena swept to a surprising election victory about two years ago promising political changes and human rights protections in Sri Lanka. On Wednesday, a United Nations committee questioned the government’s commitment to fulfilling those promises, pointing to the continued use of… Read more »
UN Committee Against Torture Concluding Observations on Sri Lanka
int_cat_coc_lka_25983_e Key Points: – The UN Committee Against Torture is calling for an independent mechanism to investigate allegations of torture and sexual violence in the “rehabilitation” programme for 12,000+ suspected former cadres. (paragraph 26). – The Committee says allegations of unlawful detention, torture and sexual violence by security forces in Sri Lanka should be investigated… Read more »
ACPR: Subcommittee on Centre-Periphery Relations
by Adayaalam, Jaffna, December 2, 2016 The Sub-Committee on Centre-Periphery Relations and the Unitary State acpr-2016_november_issue_brief_no-_1 ACPR is cautiously optimistic about the report of the CPR Sub-Committee which contains recommendations that have the potential to positively contribute to a genuine restructuring of the State that accommodates the concerns of the numerically smaller communities vis a… Read more »
US Navy at Galle Dialogue 2016
US Policy and Objectives in Building Strategic partnership with Navies in the Indo-Asia-Pacific by US Admiral Harry B. Harris, Galle, November 28, 2016 USN, Commander US Pacific Command adm-harris-galle-dialogue-2016 All speeches at http://galledialogue.lk/index.php?id=53 Thanks, Admiral Wijegunaratne for that kind introduction. In addition to being an expert in asymmetric naval warfare and special boat operations, the… Read more »