A couple of days ago (26th), I travelled along the South Coast, leaving Colombo early in the morning. I was with a friend who had come here to film some stuff relating to the second year since the tsunami. A translator also accompanied us.
Our first stop was Peraliya - that place where the wave got the train killing some 1,200 people. To mark the second anniversary, a giant Buddha statue (based on the one that was blown up by the Taliban) was going to be ‘opened’ by the President and other digniteries. We didn’t want to hang around, and kept heading down the coast.

Around 9am, we came across a small church. They were going to hold a …

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I would like to throw out a few ideas for those who come from a peacebuilding paradigm for discussion if possible.

My recent chat with a long-time supporter of the JVP, now aged about 50, driver of a three-wheeler who had two children, helped me see more clearly his point of view.

After working at a ceramic factory for 20 years, where he progressed to being a skilled operator of the kiln, he was layed off along with everyone else at that plant with little compensation. He received a salary of under Rs10,000 a month at the time he was layed
off.
He didn’t find an opportunity to use his skills elsewhere and after being treated badly by another employer, he resorted to driving …

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Inspired in part by Sanjana’s speech in early December, I wrote a column for Ravaya on human rights in Sri Lanka, from the perspective of a citizen.

This article is in Sinhala and is available by clicking on A Citizens Notes.

From time to time at various forums and speeches the idea of promoting a single Sri Lankan identity has been put forward as a factor in finding a solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka. Rarely though, these sometimes passionate pleas to build a common Sri Lankan identity have proven to be anything more than lip service, or speech enhancers. Given the historic context of the evolution of the post-colonial Sri Lankan state, and its monumental mistakes of the post-independent era, there is a need to institutionalize or at least put in place institutional enablers which could prosper a common identity.
For lessons in cultivating a common national identity we need not look much further than across the Palk Strait and …

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After the tension situation (aug 11th) all the mobile phone connections cut by security forces in Jaffna for security reasons. From 25th the mobile phones working again in Jaffna. The mobile phone companies sent the bill for the cut period also. Only Dialog and Mobitel is workin in Jaffna.

The curfews which were imposed in the Jaffna peninsula have been relaxed this week from 11.p.m to 4.a.m unlike last month when it was declared between 6.pm and 5.am and the 18 hour curfews per day in August. The power cuts have also been eased from the 18 hour duration to 4 hours from 12 midnight to 4am.

ஏகாதிபத்தியற்கெதிரான பண்பாட்டு வெடிகுண்டு

அதிகாரம் பல்வேறு தளங்களில் பல்வேறு வடிவங்களில் தொழிற்படும் யுகம் இது. இதனால் அதிகாரம் பற்றிய பல்வேறு, மதிப்பீடுகள்,சிந்தனைகள் முன்வைக்கப்படும் காலமாகவும் இது மாறியுள்ளது. அதிகாரத்தை கேள்விக்குட்படுத்தும் சிந்தனைகளோடு கடந்த நூற்றாண்டில் அறிமுகமாயிருக்கும் பின்-நவீனத்துவம் சர்வதேச அளவில் புலமையாளர்களின் கவனத்தையீர்த்த கோட்பாடாகும் அதிகாரம் தொழிற்படும் நுண்களங்களைக் கூட நுட்பமாக தோலுரித்துக் காட்டியதில் பின்-நவீனத்துவத்தின் பங்கை யாரும் குறைத்து மதிப்பிட முடியாது எனும் கருத்து விமர்சனபூர்வமாக அணுகப்பட வேண்டும் என்பதே எமது கணிப்பு.

புpன்காலனிய இலக்கியமும் பின்-நவீனத்துவத்தின் அதிகாரம் பற்றிய பார்வையின் பின்னணியிலேயே வைத்து விளக்கப்படுகிறது. மேற்கு தமது காலனித்துவத்தின் ஊடாக மூன்றாம் உலக நாடுகள் மீது மிக மோசமான சுரண்டல் நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபட்டதோடு மட்டுமன்றி அவர்களின் தனித்துவ சமூக, பொருளாதார, அரசியல், கலாசாரப் பாரம்பரியங்களையும் பெறுமனங்களையும் சிதைத்து தனது கலாசாரக் கூறுகளை திணித்ததே காலனித்துவ யுகத்தின் வரலாறாகும். இந்த காலனித்துவ காலத்தில் தங்களின் இறந்த காலத்தை பறிகொடுத்த மூன்றாம் உலக மக்கள் அதனை மீண்டும் கைப்பற்றும் முயற்சியில் ஈடுபடத் தொடங்கினர். அவர்களின் இலக்கியங்களிலும் இம்முயற்சிகள் பிரதிபலிக்கத் தொடங்கின.

மேற்கினால் தங்கள் மீது திணிக்கப்பட்ட அந்நிய சமூகப் பொருளாதார, அரசியல் மாதிரிகளை அதற்குள் …

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Every time I look at an OCHA map of Sri Lanka, the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis is made really clear. For here, we have entire regions, districts of Sri Lanka suffering under multiple humanitarian crises. There are swathes of land without access, thousands of families without adequate food, water, shelter. The OCHA map also paints a picture markedly different to that of the Government’s rosy image of returning normalcy.

Who can these communities turn to? Caught between a Government more interested in a witch-hunt against NGOs, an LTTE that’s hell-bent on Eelam through even more bloodshed and violence, mysterious armed groups that appear and disappear overnight, and all manner of other travails and hardships that we …

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While Sri Lankan tea is considered one of the best teas in the world, people of Jaffna get to taste the worst tea. The reason is a shortage of tea in Jaffna. After the land route closed, there is a shortage of all things including tea. The worst tea is selling in Jaffna for Rs1200.00 per Kg. People also don’t have any alternatives at the moment.

The SLMM in a statement on Dec 12 said they are concerned over the alarming situation in Vakarai. They pointed to the LTTE failing to protect civilians by restricting their movement, and the SLMM being refused access by the army due to security reasons.

People are questioning whether there is human security in Sri Lanka, especially in North-East war affected areas, where civilians live as human shields, whether they are willing to or not. Behind this there are many political issues for both the government and LTTE.

In the past, the UN, SLMM, and human rights organizations have failed to take effective steps to stop this. They only issue statements condemning both parties some times. Closure of A9 highway to Jaffna and …

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