Archive for March, 2007

Hypocrisy defined: Mahinda Chintanaya and Ranil in the 90’s and today

I am variously labeled in the media and was most recently called a traitor. Not the first time I’ve heard it and won’t be the last, but this time, it was because it was noted by some in the State media that those who made representations at the UN’s Human Rights Council in March were engaged in a vast, NGO driven conspiracy to tarnish the good name of the Government and the Sri Lankan State. I go back to 1990, and an interview with Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was then the Secretary of a Parliamentary Committee on Fundamental and Human Rights, followed by the response of the self-proclaimed doyen of human rights today, Ranil Wickremesinghe. After going back to these statements of the two the highest public officials in the country today, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Mahinda’s pro-NGO stance in the 90′s and Ranil’s negation of human rights are an interesting foil to judge what they say…

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  • 29 Mar, 2007
  • 3 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Human Security,
    Peace and Conflict

LTTE Air Strike: Turning Point or Confirmation of Protracted Conflict?

Mr Prabhakaran has managed yet again to shock and even awe with the air strike on the Katunayake air base, even though the talk about a Tiger air capability has been around for some time.  According to a former Indian intelligence chief, the LTTE has had this capability for some nine years.   The question is as to whether this air strike alters the balance of power, militarily, politically and psychologically. That the LTTE pulled off the attack begs a host of questions regarding the detection of the aircraft and as to why they were not pursued and destroyed before the attack or after it.  There is to be yet another commission to look into this and its findings may well go the way of all commission findings, gathering dust or disappearing into the ether.  The attack also begs the question about the reported success of the ceaseless aerial pounding of the Vanni on the grounds of destroying LTTE military capability…

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A Wave of Relief

Since the devastating tsunami struck the coastal areas of Sri Lanka just over two years ago, there have been mixed reviews about the rehabilitation process reported in the media. On the one hand, it has been said that Sri Lanka experienced two tsunamis, the second being the wave of money that flowed in and allowed people to rebuild their lives and look to the future. But on the other hand, and far more frequently, these stories go untold or are overshadowed by reports of corruption, unfair aid distribution and incompetent international relief organisations. Far too rarely do we hear of stories that reflect the support and participation of various stakeholders including local level collaborations across ethnic and caste divides, NGOs, INGOs and Government organisations who worked together in the face of immeasurable adversity. Not that the problems or failures that have occurred during the reconstruction and rehabilitation process should be dismissed completely, but it is also important to provide an…

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Conspiracy Theories

Regrettably, the continuing tragedy of violent conflict in Sri Lanka is further compounded by the increasing emergence of all manner of conspiracy theories. Because of their risqué sensationalism with scant regard for verifiable facts and a marked disdain for accountability, those who promote such conspiracy theories are out to get media attention and through it, further a parochial agenda that otherwise, in their perception, lacks the gravitas to command public attention and support. The most recent cause célèbre are allegations of a secret deal between the President and the LTTE during the Presidential Elections in 2005 that guaranteed through nefarious means Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ascendancy to power. There have also been conspiracy theories regarding the recent spate of abductions and disappearances of citizens, particular in the East but also in Colombo. Mysterious armed groups equipped with Houdini techniques to escape detection and maligned forces out to tarnish the good name of the government have been blamed. We do not know much…

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  • 28 Mar, 2007
  • 4 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

Victor Ivan: This is your conscience speaking! – An open letter to the Ravaya Editor

Photo credit: Tamilnation In my article to Groundviews, I ask what I believe is an extremely pertinent question from my erstwhile colleague, Victor Ivan, the Editor of Ravaya. I ask him to explain his stance regarding the blanket censorship on news and information on “Mawbima” and Managala Samaraweera. My article uses the philosophy of Bertrand Russell, a favourite of Victor, to attempt to convince him that the current editorial bent of Ravaya is hugely detrimental to the perception of the newspaper as a progressive and alternative media voice. Read my article in full here. Repost This Article

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Flying Tigers…

From Australia: This image occupies almost half a page in the World section of today’s Age – the leading paper in Melbourne. I am sure it has also been printed in the Sydney Morning Herald and in many papers around the world. I wonder if it made it on to Sri Lanka’s papers… Of course, it’s not clear when this photo was taken, and if it represents the type of aircraft that dropped the explosives over the air force base – but nevertheless – it’s no doubt doing the rounds in newspapers and websites throughout the world … And where’s the discussion speculating the type of aircraft? Perhaps CNN / Fox / BBC are all running panels, featuring experts, anaylsing these images… Repost This Article

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Federalism in verse: An idea

A conversation with a friend over SMS when I was at a book launch recently: Sanjana: “At Sumane’s book launch. Peace and federalism are supposedly nigh” MR (Friend): “That sounds fun. So u chose that over the poet rapper. I think that’s the critical problem. We don’t have a song about federalism so people can’t relate to it” Sanjana: “But we do right? Remember that YA*TV rap song on peace?” MR: “Yes, but would it not be meaningful if Shehan and Anarkali sang Mege Pemwathage Pedral Wadaya?” Sanjana: “Quite. But form would overwhelm content in your example” MR: “Yes, but that is most peace agreements. I think I am so inspired I will write the lyrics 4 Sha FM. Soon 2 b most requested” I think MR’s stumbled upon a great idea. History will record whether he will make a fortune as a lyricist for the federal movement in Sri Lanka. Repost This Article

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Another neglected neighbour

Several stories related to the conflict in Sri Lanka remain untold by the Indian media, including the situation of the embattled media in Sri Lanka. Ammu Joseph The renewed conflict in Sri Lanka has been making some news in India over the past few months – though not quite as much as the continuing violence in Iraq, despite the proximity, as well as the historical and cultural connections, which render the former particularly significant for this country. However, the scanty and sporadic reports on the Sri Lankan conflict in the Indian media remain largely event-based, with little depth and even less analysis, as Sri Lankan journalist Dilrukshi Handunnetti, Editor-Investigations and Political Correspondent of The Sunday Leader, Colombo, pointed out recently. Her brief presentation at the recent 5th Annual Meeting of the Network of Media, India in Bangalore was based on an informal, ad hoc survey by three journalists of Indian print and television media from 2000 to 2006. Their review…

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Politicizing Aid

From CommonDreams.org The United States is a major donor in Sri Lanka and funds projects and initiatives ranging from infrastructure development to governance and research. The question on aid conditionalities and parochial donor agendas is one never fully resolved, but is important to discuss in order to alert beneficiaries and the larger polity and society on the essential nature of aid disbursed by bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors. Clearly, this is not to support the simplistic assertion that such aid invariably contributes to the vast conspiracy of Western powers hell-bent on undermining our sovereignty, but is aimed at stimulating intelligent debate on how aid and development often closely tied to the foreign policies of donor countries, and what it means for Sri Lanka to accept aid from countries such as the US. The article below, though not written for a local audience, is thought provoking in that it is a useful analysis of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and…

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Falling from grace: On Sripathi’s demise and using terror against terror

Photo credit: Lanka Truth It’s unreasonable to even for a moment believe that the recent arrest of Former Port Development Minister Sripathi Sooriyarachchi was not politically motivated to a large extent. As one blog on anti-corruption in Sri Lanka notes, Sripathi’s arrest raises valid questions as to why arrests have not been made regarding the gross misuse and misappropriation of public money and property by other high ranking officials in power. In my article, I suggest that what is more disturbing and quite frankly frightening, quite aside from the allegations and conspiracy theories parried about by Sripathi and Mangala of late, is the government’s sophisticated media and political machinery that quashes, violently if need be, any dissent to its avowed course of action. We see evidence of this machinery in the public villification of pro-peace and human rights activists, media freedom activists and most recently, in the case of Munusami Parameshwaree, that clearly brought out this Government’s insidious manipulation of…

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Media, Terrorism and Subterfuge: Where is Sri Lanka’s Zola?

Mr. President, this is a blot against your name! It’s not Mahinda Rajapaksa I refer to when I begin my article with these words, but Félix Faure, the President of France at the time of the infamous Dreyfus Affair, involving the wrongful conviction for treason of a young French artillery officer, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, and the political and judicial scandal that followed until his full rehabilitation. I begin my article with a lone voice of reason and truth, Émile Zola, who stood up in support of Alfred Dreyfuss. In an open letter to President Faure, Zola said that the haunted vision of a man wrongfully accused troubled him at night and compelled him to stand up for truth and justice. In doing so, Zola inspired writers and thinkers ever since to stand up for what is right. For the truth. And for justice. My article goes on to explore the recent events in Sri Lanka in which media personnel were…

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Reaching out

Sometimes it’s important to force oneself to see the glass as half full rather than half empty. When looking at the current situation in Sri Lanka, the bigger picture often looks very bleak and hopeless. But on a lesser scale, positive initiatives are being carried out and small steps are slowly being taken forward. One such step is the story of the Welfare Centre in Maharagama. Located within a stone’s throw from the Maharagama Cancer Hospital, the centre provides patients and their families with free accommodation and facilities, making a very traumatic experience a little easier. The initiative is organised by the Maharagama Buddhist Association who have opened the doors of the temple in order to provide shelter and support to those in need, regardless of religion or ethnicity. As this is the only hospital in the country equipped with the facilities to treat cancer patients, people from all over the island have no option but to find their way…

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  • 19 Mar, 2007
  • 2 Comments
  • Peace and Conflict

On Democratic Innings

According to a front page article in the Daily Mirror on the 19 March 2007, titled “Mangala calls on democratic forces to rise against ‘emerging tyranny’” ex- Minister Mangala Samaraweera is calling on all political and civil organizations to rally behind him to come forward against the undemocratic triumvirate; Mr. Samaraweera told the Daily Mirror yesterday that even the UNP and the SLFP as democratic political parties could be a part of that exercise. … “Not only political parties but also civil society organizations and other individuals can come forward against this dictatorship,” he said. The ousting of the three ministers and the flurry of activities thereof has been fascinating. Anura Bandaranaike managed to work himself into the fold but the other two have not. The question is why not? Were they asking too much? Or were their capabilities as irritant ex-ministers undermined? If the ruling powers knew that the duo would walk out with so much knowledge about the…

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Asylum Seeking Downunder…

The 82 Sri Lankan asylum seekers are making news in Australia. They haven’t been sent to Indonesia to be ‘processed’ and it’s unlikely they’ll be handed back to the Sri Lankan Government. But they have been moved to Nauru for processing. In the past, Nauru has been used to process other asylum seekers who have attempted to arrive in Australia through unofficial channels. The tactic, known as the Pacific Solution, aims at keeping asylum seekers to Australia offshore, in a isolated island that’s difficult for refugee advocates to access, and out of sight from the media spotlight. The detention centre in Nauru is funded by Australia, costing taxpayers millions of dollars per year. BUT that’s a whole other issue. Though one may be able to argue whether they left Sri Lanka because their lives were in danger – I think there’s little doubt that if you are young, and of Tamil origin, and living in the North or East, then…

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Federalism: Some debates never die

Today, in the wake of recent crossovers by the UNP reformists and the presentation of reports from APRC process, the federal debate has once again taken centre. For many years Federalism has been looked at with so much of disgrace by mainly Sinhalese, particularly to those who are against any sort of devolution of powers to other ethnic communities. However, given the prominence of the federal debate, during the last 80 years exemplifies the importance and dire need of a power sharing arrangement. In the 1930s it was the Kandyan Sinhalese who put the federal demand forward for the first time in Sri Lankan political history. Later, Tamil political parties championed by the late Mr. Chelvanayagam, initiated a long political battle for a federal constitution in order to meet the aspirations of the Tamil community. However, federalism or not, constitutional issues are intrinsically confined to a group of political elites who are usually removed from the citizen ‘Appuhãmys’. Therefore, years…

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About Groundviews

Located at the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Groundviews is a citizen journalism website that uses a range of genres and media to highlight critical perspectives on governance, reconciliation, human rights, the arts and literature, democracy and other issues. The site has won two international awards, including the prestigious Manthan Award South Asia in 2009. The grand jury's evaluation of the site noted, "What no media dares to report, Groundviews publicly exposes. It's a new age media for a new Sri Lanka... Free media at it's very best!"

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