CIRCLES OF VIOLENCE : A Return to Sri Lanka is film that about which Sam got in first got in touch with me around two years ago.
He filmed 3 - 4 times in the intervening years and I got to see the final product last night at Barefoot, along with around 150 - 200 others who were present at the screening. Perhaps more than the film, a preview of which I had seen earlier, I was interested to listen to those in the audience discuss Sri Lanka’s conflictual social, economic, political terrains through their own experience. Some, who had returned to Sri Lanka like Sam after spending many years abroad, others who had lived through it all, and many …

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Bad news is good news: The notion that disaster and despair are more newsworthy than peace and harmony is widely known. Countries like Columbia, Israel, Northern Ireland and the Philippines have had their fair share of disaster and despair, but this is not what the Peace Counts project is focusing on. The photographic exhibition arrived in Colombo last week for the beginning of an international tour. Peace Counts portrays the work of people from all over the world who have successfully promoted peaceful co-existence in their community, often in unusual and creative ways. One of the images tells the story of how deadly gang warfare in Cape Town prisons has been drastically reduced as a result of a project encouraging …

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- More Information Added Feb 28 -
Two students are missing in Vadamaradchi. P.Yaseetharan and K.Sivaruban, who are Uduppidy American Mission students, are missing since Sunday afternoon. Their parents have made a complaint at the Human Rights Commission Jaffna branch. Both of them went to private tuition by motorbike and so far they didn’t come back to their homes, their parents said.
The information available is that 584 persons went missing in Jaffna last year. 158 persons under the security forces custody. There is no information about the other 416 persons. So far 62 people have surrendered at the Human Rights Commission Jaffna branch due to death threats.
Another example is Subramaniam Ramachandran the Thinakkural and Valampuri newspaper Correspondent in Vadamaradchi who …

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Photo credit: Christian Northeast

Chatroom, directed by Tracy Holsinger and produced by Mind Adventures Theatre Company, was a refreshing departure from banal productions that usually feature in Colombo. Dealing with suicide and online communication, the script by Enda Walsh, an Irish playwright, explores the understanding of and responses to depression, suicide and ultimately, human relationships of six teenagers brought together in Internet chat rooms.

The deplorable and never to be repeated, I hope, projection of commercial advertisements before the commencement of the play aside, Chatroom was, as is to be expected from Tracy Holsinger, engaging theatre and personally, a deeply fulfilling return to her directorial style after 3 Star K at the Wendt …

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The statement of the LTTE marking the unhappy 5th Anniversary of the CFA is a remarkable document. Admittedly, one has to get used to the slightly disconcerting effect of talon, tush and claw of the snarling Cholan tiger that leaps at you through a ring of bullets and rood of bayonets from the top of every page. But as necessarily a partisan account, it is rather a well-stated case.

It seeks to give a comprehensive account of events of the past six years or so; engages international humanitarian law in its critique of the conduct of the government and the international community; reiterates central principles of process such as parity of status, balance of power, and international guarantees (and also, by …

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One of the warnings sounded by ex-minister Samaraweera was about the certainty of the international isolation of Sri Lanka if President Rajapaksa did not move to address the culture of impunity and the deterioration of human rights protection in Sri Lanka.  This too has the hallmarks of the Premadasa regime when populist authoritarianism was laced with nationalist bombast and insecure xenophobia.  The war against terrorism today will mark us out as a country with an abysmally poor human rights record as did the counter terror of that time.  The question though is at what cost and with what consequence in the world today.

There is still a human rights resolution sponsored by the European Union pending at the Human Rights Council …

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-நாரதர்-

கடந்த ஒரு தசாப்தகாலத்திற்கு முற்பகுதியில் இலங்கையின் உள்நாட்டுப்போர் தீவிரமாக இருந்தபோது விடுதலைப்புலிகளுக்கு எதிராகவோ இராணுவத்திற்கு எதிராகவோ (அரசாங்கத்திற்கு) வாய்திறந்து தமது உண்மையான விமர்சனங்களையும் நடுநிலைமையான கருத்துக்களையும் தெரிவிக்கமுடியாமல் தினறின அப்போதைய ஊடகங்கள்.விசேடமாக தமிழ்.

ஆனால் நவீன ஊடகங்களின் வருகையினால் இந்நிலைமை தகர்த்தெறியப்பட்டுள்ளது.உதாரணமாக விடுதலைப்புலிகளின் செயற்பாடுகளை முன்பு விமர்சிக்கமுடியாததொரு சூழ்நிலையே காணப்பட்டது.அவ்வாறு செயற்பட்டால், ஊடகங்களின் வாய்கள் துப்பாக்கி முனையில் நிறுத்தப்பட்டு அவை வரலாற்று சான்றுகளாகியுள்ளன.

இருந்த தமிழ் ஊடகங்களும் பெரும்பாலும் விடுதலைப்புலிகளுக்கு சார்பாகவே செயற்பட்டும் வந்துள்ளன.

இணையத்தளங்கள், இணையத்தள வானொளிகள் மற்றும் இணையத்தள தொலைக்காட்சிகளின் வருகைகளினால்; ஒரு பக்க கருத்துக்கள் மாத்திரம் வெளியாகுவதனை தவிர இவற்றில் பலரது கருத்துக்களும் ஒலிக்கத் தொடங்கின.

அவற்றில் ஒரு விளைவாகவே விடுதலைப்புலிகள் அமைப்பிலிருந்து விலகிச் சென்ற கருணாவிற்கு சார்பாக மட்டும் இன்று 14 இணையத்தளங்கள் கருத்துக்களை பிரசுரித்து வருகின்றன. இது ஒரு உதாரணம் மட்டுமே.

உண்மையில் சைபரின் வருகையினால் ஏற்பட்ட விளைவுகள் தான் இவை.(நவீன ஊடகங்கள்).(இவை நன்மைக்கும் உபயோகப்படும் தீமைக்கும் உபயோகப்படும்)

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For the past three decades, journalism in Sri Lanka has been dominated by men, and as a career it has generally been discouraged amongst women. Things are changing and female journalists are now employed in nearly all newsrooms in print, broadcasting, as well as electronic and online media. Furthermore, the issues covered go far beyond food and fashion: Women are now taking an increasingly active role where issues such as education, conflict and human rights are concerned.

However, the number of female journalists in high ranking, decision making posts is still alarmingly low. According to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), even though women make up 40 per cent of Sri Lanka’s working journalists, they only make up 3 to 5 …

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An article in Sinhala that examines the fate of Mangala Samaraweera - how he got where he is and the (significant) challenges facing him in the future.

Download and read the full article here.

Terrorism is bad. OK. But how bad? And is it all bad? Or is it more like saying bacteria is bad — in other words, dependent on the situation?

First we need to look at what terrorism really is. Yes, it is the intent to cause terror, but it’s actual definition is widely accepted to be the intention of military groups to cause terror amongst a civil populace. Occasionally the definition is modified to include state military action against an enemy populace (eg: the RAF aircrew were referred to by the Germans in WW2 as “Terrorfliger” or terror flyers). However, when looked at analytically, terrorism is merely a means to an end, a weapon in conflict; usually (but not invariably) employed …

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Shot this with my mobile, caught up in a massive traffic jam in Kirulapona. A dangerous & delicious irony here.

“Partly it was a sort of hymn to the wisdom and majesty of Big Brother, but still more it was an act of self-hypnosis, a deliberate drowning of consciousness…” from 1984.

As of February 2007 3,103 US Soldiers have been killed and, 23,279 others seriously wounded in Iraq. $505 billion of US taxpayers’ funds, including $70 billion for fiscal year 2007 have been spent or approved for spending and President Bush is expected to request another $100 billion in war-spending for 2007 and $140 billion for 2008, which will bring the cumulative total to well over $700 billion (http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm) According to CNN the Bush administration hopes to resettle about 7,000 Iraqi refugees to the United States this year. The war in Iraq has certainly taken a serious toll in US politics and life. So why did the US invade Iraq? Did they bargain for such a costly prolonged war? How would …

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The Daily News is a state owned newspaper. What it publishes parrots and praises the party line and is usually taken with a grain of salt. Lately, however, it requires at least a kilo. The front page has a little box which for weeks has been attacking the Editor of the Sunday Leader personally, even alluding to potential tax investigations. This is chilling coming from a government entity to a private individual, whatever his editorial record.
More recently, this unjournalistic box has taken to echoing the JHU in alluding to people and media that oppose the government as LTTE supporters. This ‘With Us or Against Us’ mentality is both inaccurate and injust, and it’s a shame that it’s being espoused so …

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The electoral alliances Mahinda Rajapaksa forged to win the presidency are unraveling faster than expected.  The relationship with the JHU  and the commitment to the unitary state apart, the key personalities associated with the Rajapaksa presidential campaign – Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi – having been sacked from their ministerial positions are now reportedly to join the throng of complainants to the Human Rights Commission on account of inadequate security.

There are those who have an overpowering sense of de ja vu with regard to all of this – reminiscing about the Premadasa era and the creation of the DUNF. History repeats itself first as tragedy and then as farce.  The President’s overarching consideration of regime consolidation seems to be threatened …

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The Eastern University Muslim students are trying to get transfers to other universities for security reasons following the claymore attack by the LTTE on January 31st 2007. Students outside of Batticaloa district are fearful after the incident and some have little experience of such incidents.

What I could see after talking to the students was that they were very fearful after the experience and there were internal politics between the Vanni – Betti armed groups.

When I spoke to a student out of the North and East who is studying at the university, she said “on that day a few students ran around the university compound making a barking sound. I think it was a signal or warning to some students to …

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Interview was taken from: Mrs. Gopalakrishnan Kalaivani, 33 years. On 31st of January 2007
Displaced from: Manalchenai, Muthur Trincomalee
Place - Welfare Centre (Cultural Hall Refugee’s Camp, Trincomalee)

On the day, when a suicide attack was attempt in Colombo Army Head Quarters (on chief Army Officer), there were a terrible Artillery Shelling and Multi Barrel attack were done, to our village, and suburb villages. In these attacks some houses were damaged, some people were died, and many injured. Our villagers and suburb villagers ran through the forests, with our children, to save our and children lives. Attacks continue more and more people killed some people who came by running with us. We buried some bodies, and left in the same position, the others. …

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Sri Lanka’s current ‘no war no peace’ situation means that it is a country constantly teetering on the edge of a full scale war. As a result, tension is always high amongst the different communities that make up this diverse nation, and even the slightest provocations can cause violence to escalate at an alarming rate.

In September 2006, several journalists and media practitioners began a process of reflection and discussion on their role in easing this tension and building lasting peace on the island. Collectively, they felt that they had a duty to contribute positively towards building national unity in Sri Lanka and subsequently devised the Weligama Declaration. It was accepted and signed in the Southern town of Weligama by ten …

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-நாரதர்-

இலங்கையைப் பொறுத்தவரையில் இன்று சமாதானத்திற்கு ஆதரவாக செயற்படுபவர்கள் அனைவரும் புலிகள் , தேசத்துரோகிகள் என்ற நிலைக்கு தள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.இத்தரக்குறைவான சிந்தனைக்கும் பேரினவாதிகளின் போக்கிற்கும் நாட்டின் அனைத்து சக்திகளும் அணிதிரண்டு ஆதரவாக செயற்படுகின்றன.

இவற்றின் வெளிப்பாடகவே இன்று கொழும்பில் பெரும்பாலான பிரதேசங்களில் ஒட்டப்பட்டுள்ள பதாதைகளில் காணக்கூடியதாயுள்ளது.

அது,

சமாதான புலிகள்
ஊடக புலிகள்
இடதுசாரி புலிகள்
இணங்கண்டு கொள்வோம்
அழிப்போம்
நாட்டைக் காப்பாற்றிக் கொள்வோம்

பயங்கரவாதத்திற்கு எதிரான இயக்கம்

என்பதாகும்.

பயங்கரவாதத்திற்கு எதிரான இயக்கம் எனக் கூறிக்கொள்ளும் இவ்வியக்கம் , அவ்வாறாயின் சமாதானத்திற்கான வழி இது தான் என பதாதை ஒட்டவதில்லையே.பயங்கரவாதத்தின் எதிராளிகள் என தெரிவிக்கும் இவர்களே இனவாதிகளின் பெற்றோர்களும் ஆவார்கள்.

நாட்டில் இனப்பிரச்சினை தொடர்ந்து உக்கிரமடைந்து செல்லும் நிலையில் சமாதான பேச்சுவார்த்தைக்கே இடமில்லையென்ற வகையில் அதற்கு எதிரான செயற்பாடுகள் தொடர்ச்சியாக அதிகரித்துச் செல்கின்றமை மிகவும் வேதனையைத் தருகிறது.

(நிலைமை இவ்வாறு தொடர்ந்தால் இலங்கையிலும் ‘பொடா” சட்டத்தை உருவாக்கி விடுவார்களோவென எண்ணத்தோன்றுகிறது)

Colombo has gradually degenerated into a sinister looking, ‘frightened city’. During the past few months roads have been blocked, speeding convoys disrupt normal traffic, traffic is directed one way, (which is still rather disorienting) and men in khaki walk around carrying T56s watching, wary. The stalling of the peace process and the military offensives have had their toll on Colombo. It seems as if the normal civilian life has been changed, Sri Lankans seem to be under siege and there are hardly any questions about how one deals with it and its overall impact on civilian life. This short writing is not a judgment on whether Colombo should be under siege or not but rather to illuminate the situation and …

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