Archive for English
June 23, 2008 at 4:49 am · Categories: Colombo, English, Human Rights, Human Security, Peace and Conflict, Politics | by raja
Abductions continue
Abductions continue unabated and last week five persons all of Tamil identity were abducted from the Kotahena area. Meanwhile threats to abduct and kill intellectuals seem to have started as well. During the Qing dynasty in ancient China all intellectuals were either killed or exiled since they were considered to be a threat to the Emperor’s dictatorial rule. Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of the last century said “Behind the ostensible government sits an invisible government, owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.” They targeted citizens who were accused of displaying ‘unpatriotic behavior’ and identified as a threat to the security of the state. The National Intelligence Agency detained and tortured citizens holding them in over-crowded …
June 20, 2008 at 8:00 am · Categories: Colombo, English, Peace and Conflict, Politics | by Ruwanminee Wickremasinghe
“True party politics is a bad idea. It causes one more division among the people of this country who are already divided on very other possible divisible factor. But changing sides to enjoy personal privileges is not the solution that the people of this country are looking for. They want all political parties to get together and work for the good of this nation but they can do so while sitting on any side of the Legislature and minus ministerial perks.”
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as the 5th Executive President of Sri Lanka on November 19th, 2005. Soon after the event, the main architects of Rajapaksa’s victory Mangala Samaraweera and Wimal Weerawansa along with SLFP stalwarts like Maithripala Sirirsena and Nimal Siripala De Silva …
June 18, 2008 at 6:34 pm · Categories: Colombo, Constitutional Reform, English, Politics | by groundviews
ROHAN EDRISINHA & ASANGA WELIKALA
The North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils have been dissolved by Proclamation of the respective Governors effective as of midnight on Monday 9th May 2008 (see Gazette Extraordinary No. 1553/6 (North Central Province) and No. 1553/7 (Sabaragamuwa Province), 9th June 2008). Both Councils were dissolved approximately fourteen months before their respective terms of office would have expired at the end of five years from the date of election in terms of Article 154E of the Constitution. In the ordinary course of things, the North Central Provincial Council would have ended its term on 11th August 2009, and the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council on 09th August 2009.
While the Proclamations do not set out reasons for the dissolutions, media …
June 17, 2008 at 4:19 am · Categories: Batticaloa, English, Human Rights, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict, Politics | by CRep
The Kattankudi Jamiyyathul Ulama had requested all the newly elected Muslim members of the Eastern Provincial Council to boycott its inaugural session to highlight the demand of strengthening security of the Muslim community in the east. Ethnic violence has flared in the east between the Tamil and Muslim communities since the EPC polls were conducted and tense situation prevails in the east putting into question the government claim of having liberated the east from the clutches of the LTTE. Political analysts indicate several possible reasons for the above situation.
- An LTTE attempt to regain control of the eastern province through inciting ethnic violence.
- Karuna cadres’ plan to capture power authority in the east.
- Opposition politics drive to gain political benefits.
- Government security systems.
The LTTE …
June 13, 2008 at 11:07 am · Categories: Colombo, English, Human Rights, Media, Politics | by Ruwanminee Wickremasinghe
When President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with some editors and senior journalists recently, he was asked about the attack on the Associate Editor of the Nation. His reply was,” You know me, I didn’t care about what is written against me but other people are not like that.” One can conclude that his comments are a dead give away on who he thinks was behind the attack on Mr. Noyhar. The newspaper and many others have not shied away form pointing the finger at those who they believe are the prime suspects in this cowardly attack but as things go in Sri Lanka, there can be evidence screaming in the face of the law enforcement authorities but if the accused …
June 12, 2008 at 11:21 am · Categories: Colombo, English, Peace and Conflict | by Chulani Kodikara
‘The normal types of NGOs—advocacy organizations, service delivery groups, cultural organizations and others—generally contribute to democracy, not threaten it. They do so by pushing for greater accountability and increasing citizen participation. Governments that feel threatened by NGOs are usually non-democratic governments’
Thomas Carothers
When governments have wanted to make peace with the LTTE, they have not been shy to mobilize the support of NGOs dealing with issues of peace and human rights. During the last two peace processes with the LTTE (1994-1995 and 2002 -2003) advocacy and policy related NGOs worked closely with the regimes in power to provide intellectual support to these processes. During the 1994 – 1995 talks, NGO personnel were directly involved in peace talks at the track one …
June 9, 2008 at 8:12 pm · Categories: Batticaloa, English, Human Security, IDPs and Refugees, Peace and Conflict | by CHA
The IDPs from Trincomalee District are scattered, in the Ampara District. There are few from the Mannar District too. Some are willing to return to their original places, some do not. These families prefer to live here. Some have bought small pieces of lands. These families need to be assisted to construct permanent houses here.
Few organizations are assisting for the construction, still a section of families are left off. Those who are living with friends or relations face this problem. If assistance is provided their participation in completing the house is very appreciate able. There livelihood is another problem they have to contest with the local labour. Most of them have been cultivators, they do not have any land to …
June 6, 2008 at 12:26 pm · Categories: Colombo, English, Media, Peace and Conflict | by Ruwanminee Wickremasinghe
Journalists in Sri Lanka are trying to recollect whether they had a worse time under the regime of President Ranasinghe Premadasa when during the height of a crackdown on a JVP insurrection many media personnel were killed or simply disappeared, or if the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is moved ahead of that dark era and is fast creating a special niche for himself as the biggest suppressor of whatever media freedom is there in this country.
Journalists in Sri Lanka have to admit, especially those in the private media that how much ever we may like to fool ourselves into believing we are truly “independent” journalists, this is far from the truth. All journalists have to work within limits and it is …
June 3, 2008 at 10:47 pm · Categories: Ampara, Batticaloa, English, Human Rights, Human Security, Peace and Conflict, Politics, Trincomalee | by rajeev sreetharan
After one cease-fire, two formal peace talks, three wars, we wade deeper into Eelam war IV, and we’re back at square one. Or is it we never left?
Over 2000 deaths post-2006. Post-tsunami, over 700,000 refugees upon a decimated Northeast bloated with bone and shades of displacement. Unidentified gunmen, parcel bombs, white vans, lurk in every shadow. From Devakumaran to Senpathi, infants in Kayts to civilians in Dehiwala, the value of human life varies inversely with rising prices of petrol and rice, rates of inflation and centralization. And a panoply of issues like the 17th amendment or justice for 17 aid workers dangling a top Temple Trees’ to-do list, in the contemporary context, no more a blunt sword of Damocles, unable …
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