Archive for Human Rights
January 28, 2010 at 7:00 am · Categories: Economy, Elections, Human Rights, Human Security, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Samath Gammampila
Dear Mr. President,
I’d like to congratulate you in advance for your impending victory of the Presidential election in the following days to come. With the SLFP consolidating their power through the provincial council polls in the aftermath of the war, a presidential re-election and another term with you as President seems inevitable.
The potential in Sri Lanka knows no bounds; therefore boundaries must be clearly drawn so that this potential is not exploited by a few for themselves and for their kith and kin. This has undoubtedly taken place in Sri Lanka time and again, with every administration that has governed the country. This needs to be addressed by the authorities and checks need to come into play. For …
January 14, 2010 at 7:00 am · Categories: Elections, Human Rights, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Jude Fernando
“The passion to be reckoned upon is fear.” Thomas Hobbes
“The very act of voting is a joyful statement that we are not under a tyrant. And there may be happy victories. But the best government we get is a foreshadowing. Peace and justice are approximated now.” John Piper
I admit to being a political junkie. I get my news from multiple papers, news sites and web blogs. I react to reports on our nation’s politics with hope or rage, despondence or encouragement, based on media reports. The “package of promises” presented by our two Presidential candidates continues to expand at lightning speed, and has come to include the settlement or relocation of IDPs, …
January 12, 2010 at 7:00 am · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security | by Jude Fernando
[Authors note: I invite the readers of my article to suggest creative and strategic ways to reconcile the universal and culturally relative rights in Sri Lankan context.]
“Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; but they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable.” — G. K. Chesterton
Though Sri Lankans have not been passive victims, our progress toward equal rights is being frustrated by ceaseless international allegations of human rights abuses. The state is preoccupied with defending itself against these charges, and vilifies its accusers as traitors. The two Presidential candidates attribute abuses to each other, and their claims are remarkably similar to the charges of abuses levied against the state. These controversies over human …
December 27, 2009 at 1:35 pm · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Religion and faith | by Veritas
Last Christmas, together with few friends, we prayed desperately, hoping a bloodbath would be avoided
This Christmas, we prayed and lit candles for the thousands killed and missing during the war, the ones who doesn’t have a grave as their family members had to run over the dead (and sometimes dyeing) bodies to save their own lives.
Last Christmas, we prayed for a stop to political killings, disappearances, forced recruitments, unjust arrests and torture. And for families of those detained, disappeared, killed.
This Christmas, we did the same.
Last Christmas, we prayed for easing of government restrictions on food, medicine, shelter and access for aid agencies to help the people affected by war.
This Christmas, we prayed for those injured & sick – as they …
December 19, 2009 at 2:00 pm · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Kalana Senaratne
Recently, the world celebrated the ‘Human Rights Day’, on 10 December. It comes to us, every year. It is a day that commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Various events, seminars and workshops are held, various programmes launched, on that day. There are advocacy programmes, awareness programmes, lectures and such kind. Nice stickers, well drafted pamphlets, are distributed. It is considered to be a special day.
But from the citizen’s perspective, all these things are of secondary importance. For the citizen, what matters, principally, is whether his/her rights are effectively protected; whether violations of his/her rights can be effectively investigated; whether the government is seen to be taking, and ultimately takes, action to improve …
December 18, 2009 at 1:00 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Post-War | by Groundviews
“Governments usually don’t take notice of silent majorities” says well known investigative and environmental journalism Dilrukshi Handunnetti in this video interview with Groundviews.
To commemorate Human Rights Day 2009 (falling on 10 December) Groundviews interviewed a number of leading activists in Sri Lanka to find out their perspectives on current challenges facing human rights in post-war Sri Lanka. In general, activists featured were asked to comment on the Sri Lankan State’s protection of human rights, the nexus between human rights and human dignity and opportunities for greater human rights protection over the coming years.
Dilrukshi is a lawyer by training having specialized in international law. A journalist for over 17 years, she has extensively covered the areas of politics, conflict, environment, …
December 14, 2009 at 2:02 pm · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Language, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Reconciliation | by Groundviews
To commemorate Human Rights Day 2009 (falling on 10 December) Groundviews interviewed a number of leading activists in Sri Lanka to find out their perspectives on current challenges facing human rights in post-war Sri Lanka. In general, activists featured were asked to comment on the Sri Lankan State’s protection of human rights, the nexus between human rights and human dignity and opportunities for greater human rights protection over the coming years.
This video features two well known youth activists. K. Guruparan, who has also appeared earlier on Groundviews is associated with Beyond Borders and was one of the founders of the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament. Jovita Arulanantham, also a youth activist, is a student at the University of Colombo.
Amongst …
December 13, 2009 at 12:07 pm · Categories: Advocacy, Human Rights, Human Security, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, War Crimes | by Groundviews
To commemorate Human Rights Day 2009 (falling on 10 December) Groundviews interviewed a number of leading activists in Sri Lanka to find out their perspectives on current challenges facing human rights in post-war Sri Lanka. In general, activists featured were asked to comment on the Sri Lankan State’s protection of human rights, the nexus between human rights and human dignity and opportunities for greater human rights protection over the coming years.
This video features Sunila Abeysekara, an award winning Sri Lankan human rights activist. The interview was conducted over a Skype video call.
Sunila talks about, amongst a number of other vital issues, the current state of media freedom and the freedom of expression, a fundamental difference between human dignity and …
December 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm · Categories: Arts and Theatre, Colombo, Disaster Management, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Reconciliation, War Crimes | by Groundviews
Obligingly recorded by Young Asia Television at the request of Groundviews, we are pleased to present a full-length video recording of a technical rehearsal / run-through of The Travelling Circus, produced by Mind Adventures, directed by Tracy Holsinger and recently staged in Colombo.
An in-depth review of the production is published on Groundviews here.
Total playing time is 52 minutes.
The production divided opinion, with some liking it and others, with equal passion, disliking it.
This full-length video of the production (even though it is a technical rehearsal) records for posterity one of the first theatre productions …
December 11, 2009 at 6:56 am · Categories: Colombo, Disabilities, Human Rights | by Groundviews
As part of our video series for human rights day 2009 (falling on 10 December), Groundviews interviewed Sunethra Bandaranaike, Chairperson of the Sunera Foundation. With the interrogation of human rights in Sri Lanka often solely focussing on violations of political rights, Groundviews sought to focus attention on disability and the rights of the disabled in our country.
Sunethra speaks on legal and institutional challenges impeding the protection of the rights of the disabled, as well as our myopic perception of the disabled, with resulting policies and practices that do not recognise or value their special needs and rights. Sunethra also comes out very strongly in support of youth and young people championing human rights and standing up against continuing violations. …
December 10, 2009 at 3:52 pm · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Groundviews
To commemorate Human Rights Day, falling today, Groundviews interviewed a number of leading activists in Sri Lanka to find out their perspectives on current challenges facing human rights in post-war Sri Lanka.
This is the first video in a series we will publish over the coming week.
After asking each of them to define human rights as they saw and understood it, Groundviews asked the activists to comment on the Sri Lankan State’s protection of human rights, the nexus between human rights and human dignity and opportunities for greater human rights protection over the coming years.
Featured in this video are:
- Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon
- Dr. Paikiasothy …
December 10, 2009 at 10:25 am · Categories: Advocacy, Diaspora, Human Rights, Human Security, Jaffna, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Prof. Rajan Hoole
[Editors Note: Prof. Rajan Hoole, co-founder of UTHR (J) and co-author of the Broken Palmyra, presents this piece exclusively to Groundviews for Human Rights Day 2009].
One important indicator of Human Rights protection in modern society is successful enforcement of the rule of law. Human Rights activism in Lanka came about as a response to special challenges arising from progressive deterioration of the rule of law. The law is technical in its workings. Good laws and good law enforcement advance human rights, and their opposites lead to conflict and crisis. The strengthening of institutional aspects of human rights, the promotion of a human rights culture and the ambient political mores in which these operate, interact with and influence one another. Deterioration …
December 10, 2009 at 6:58 am · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Human Security, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance | by Groundviews
Today is Human Rights Day, which honours the UN’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948, the first global enunciation of human rights.
Today is also the one hundredth day Tamil journalist J.S. Tissanaiyagam will spend imprisoned doing hard labour. He has already spent over six hundred days in prison. On 31 August 2009, Tissa was sentenced by the High Court in Colombo to an incredible twenty years of rigorous imprisonment under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Nimalka Fernando, a leading human rights activist, called the judgement a travesty of justice, a position Groundviews unequivocally endorsed and associates itself with. As the eminent International Commission of Jurists noted, …
November 14, 2009 at 1:31 pm · Categories: Diaspora, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War | by Karen
The recent Amnesty International sponsored forum “Sri Lanka: Human Rights Issues and Media Representation” held last week in Melbourne was a missed opportunity. The forum could have signposted the strategies needed to pressure the Australian Government to do more to improve human rights and freedom of expression issues, and to bring the Sri Lankan Government to account on its horrific human rights record. Instead, the forum ended up painting an ‘us versus them’ picture and pitting the Tamil diaspora against its Sinhala counterpart. This could have been avoided if the presenters were more mature and more informed about the situation in Sri Lanka.
The majority of the people in the room were from the Tamil diaspora, who along with …
November 9, 2009 at 2:08 am · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Media and Communications | by Sunanda Deshapriya
The case
On 26 October 2009, B. Jaseekaran and V. Valarmathi were released as the state council withdrew the charges filed against them. Both of them were partners of journalist J. Tissainayagam who was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour on 31 August 2009. Both cases were heard at the Colombo High Court and were interlinked: Tissainayagam was charged for writing and publishing two articles in the North Eastern Herald, a magazine he edited. Jaseekaran and Valarmathi were charged for printing the magazine. In both cases another charge was made for collecting money from the LTTE.
Jaseekaran and Valarmathi were arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) on 6 March 2008. It took more than hundred days to file charges against …
November 7, 2009 at 6:29 am · Categories: Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Politics and Governance | by Michael Roberts
The ongoing brouhaha around the boat people ‘storming’ Australian maritime waters displays two tendencies in Australian politics and its cultural underpinnings. The first tendency, A, is the insidious influence of a long-standing hostility to potentially subversive foreign elements. The second dimension, B, is a more recent phenomenon that I shall label “bureaucratititis”.
The force of factor A is of lesser import than factor B in raising the present storm. It is also not easy to demonstrate. So, I merely suggest. I mark the concerns about the “Yellow Peril” of Chinese migrants that prevailed in Australia from the late 19th century and the manner in which it contributed to a White Australia policy. That programme is no more.
But one ‘relative’ remains embedded …
November 6, 2009 at 9:47 am · Categories: Disaster Management, Gender, Human Rights, Human Security, Media and Communications, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Post-War, Reconciliation | by Groundviews
Exactly three years after its launch, Groundviews published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas for constitutional reform, governance, human rights and the economy and whatever else they see as constituting essential elements of an agenda for change and reform.
Over three years, Groundviews has borne witness to that which traditional print and electronic media did not, and for well-known reasons, could not. Post-war for example, our path-breaking coverage of the situation facing IDPs in Menik Farm was picked up and featured on leading domestic and international media, including the New York Times, Al Jazeera and the BBC. The wealth of debate …
November 6, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Advocacy, Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Colombo, Districts, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Media and Communications, Moneragala, Nuwara Eliya, Peace and Conflict, Politics and Governance, Pollonnaruwa, Post-War, Puttlam, Reconciliation, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, War Crimes | by Dr. P. Saravanamuttu
Whilst it is not clear as to whether we would be voting in both the presidential and general elections on the same day, it is clear that we will be voting in at least one of them in the next three months, followed soon thereafter by the other. Most likely it will be the presidential elections since it is the president who has to decide and since he is much more popular than his party. Moreover, we have been told that he is willing to sacrifice, if necessary, two years of his first term in order to secure a second and a parliamentary majority nearest to the heart’s desire.
All elections are important and these will be no exception. It is worth …
November 5, 2009 at 9:50 am · Categories: Disabilities, Human Rights, Human Security, Media and Communications, Politics and Governance | by Basil Fernando
Police Reform was the theme of a discussion organised by the Commonwealth Initiative in Delhi last week. Among the participants were senior police officers from South Asian countries including a few who are retired. Also present were many other persons interested in the issue. Throughout the discussion there was consensus that something has gone terribly wrong with the policing systems in South Asian countries and that the absence of radical reforms of the police threaten the very stability of the nations concerned.
While everyone agreed that the problems are related to the colonial origins of the institutions, everyone also agreed that the failure to take the necessary action for reform lies with the states, as well as the failures of political …
November 3, 2009 at 7:00 am · Categories: Colombo, Human Rights, Media and Communications, Politics and Governance | by Surendra Ajit Rupasinghe
J.S. Tissainayagam, who had been under detention since March 7- 2009, was convicted on all three charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) on August 31- 2009 by the High Court of Colombo, and given the maximum sentence of 20 years rigorous incarceration. In a symbolic and focal sense, what has been tried and imprisoned is the Tamil nation, and all those who stand for its right of self-determination. Journalist Tissainayagam stood for the right of self-determination and for the security of the Tamil nation, and it is this fundamental right that has been tried and suppressed in such a severe manner. Tissainayagam allegedly confesses that he maintained some dialogue with the LTTE and that he did write and …
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