Archive for July, 2007

Stanley Rd Closure Affects Traders In Jaffna

Traders on Jaffna Stanley Road are badly affected by the closure of the road. The road is closed for public usage for security reasons and only pedestrians are allowed to use it. Even bicyles are not allowed by forces. Two major offices are situated on the road. One is the EPDP Jaffna office. The other is the 512 brigade (town commanders office). But otherwise, there are hardware shops, motor spare parts shops, paint shops, motor bike show rooms etc. Officials at the Chamber of Commerce in Jaffna said more than 200 shops lost their business. It is the Wall Street of Jaffna. One leading hardware owner said he had 62 employees but now just 14 people as he had to terminate jobs of the others. “I have been paid 3 lakhs BTT per month now I’m paying just Rs700 to Rs800 only,” he said. Another trader said he sold 30,000 packs of cement per month, but now he is selling…

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  • 28 Jul, 2007
  • 0 Comment
  • Ampara,
    Media and Communications

The forgotten: Sriyanie’s story from Welikanda

ගරු ජනාධිපතිතුමනි. අධ්‍යාපන ඇමතිතුමනි විශ්ව විද්‍යාල ප‍්‍රතිපාදන කොමිසමේ සභාපතිතුමනි විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයට යෑමට සියලූ සුදුසුකම් තිබු මේ දැරීයට එය අහිමි වුයේ පදිංචි දිස්ති‍්‍රක්කය වැරදීම නිසාද? එය මකා දමා හෝ නැවත අයදුම් පතක් ගෙන්වා ගෙන හෝ මේ තරුණියව විශ්ව විද්‍යාලයට ගන්න යුතුකමක් අදාල නිලධාරීන්ට නොසිතුනේ මන්ද? මෙවන් දුප්පත් දරුවන්ට මේ රටේ ඇති එකම අවස්ථාව ඉගෙන ගැනීම නොවන්නේ ද? ගුරුවරු රැුකියාවට නොයන ඇගේ ප‍්‍රදේශයේ දරුවන්ට ඉගෙන්වීමට ඇයට හෝ අවස්ථාව නොදෙන්නේ වැලිකන්දේ ඊළඟ පරම්පරාවන් නුගත් කමේ ගිල්ලවත්නට ද? නො එසේනම් ඔවුන් අධ්‍යාපනය ලබා ලෝකය පිළිබඳව අවබෝධ වූ විට මේ රටේ බලධාරීන් ලෙස ඔබලා ඔවුන්ට කළ අසාධාරණය ඔවුන් තේරුම් ගත්හ නිසාද? මේ අහිංසක දැරිය වෙනුවට කාගේ හෝ හෙංචයියෙකුගේ නුසුදුසු කෙනෙකු අද විශ්ව විද්‍යාලය තුළ ඉගෙන ගන්නා බවද අපි දනිමු ඇයට ඔබලා සාධාරණය ඉටු කරන තෙක් අපි බලා හිඳිමු. එසේම මේ රටේ තවත් දුප්පත් දරුවන්ගේ ජීවිත බලධාරීන්ගේ හෝ ක‍්‍රමයේ වරද නිසා මෙලෙස අනාත වන්නට ඉඩ දෙමු ද? ශි‍්‍රයානි තවම බලන් ඉන්නම් ඇයට සාධාරණය ඉටු කරන තුරු. අපි ඇයට එසේ ඉන්නට ඉඩ හරිමු ද? නැත්නම් ඇය වෙනුවෙන්…

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The unlearnt lessons of July 1983

මළ ජූලි හතකින්වත් පාඩමක් ෙනා ගන්නා… Photo credit: Tamilnation.org My article deals with the social and political after-effects of one of the most despicable episodes in Sri Lankan history – the ethnics riots of July 1983. I examine how in the intervening years, Sri Lanka’s political establishment has failed to address the growth of hate and violence, and how even certain sections of the religious establisment now see and promote war and violence as viable means to peace. Sections of the Buddhist clergy are notable in this regard. We also see that in combatting the terrorism of the LTTE, we have now already unquestioningly entertained the growth of political terrorism. Terror against terror defines the age we live in – and I ask, have we really learnt anything from our sordid experience of ethno-political violence? Read my article in full here.

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The Indo-Lanka Accord – Some reflections 20 years hence

ඉන්දු ලංකා ගිවිසුම (1987 ජූලි- 2007 ජූලි): අවස්ථාවක්ද? බලහත්කාරයක් ද? “ඉන්දු ලංකා ගිවිසුමෙහි දසවන සංවත්සරය අවස්ථාව පෙන්නුම් කරන්නේ එහි අරමුණ වු ජනවාර්ගික ගැටළුවට දේශපාලන විසඳුමක් සොයා ගැනීමෙහි ලා ශී‍්‍ර ලංකාව ඇදහිය නොහැකි තරම් ආපස්සට ගමන් කර ඇති අන්දම ය.” In this article I go back in time and look at the Indo-Lanka Accord the the dynamics of State power against the LTTE that was the lasting result of it. I speak of the battles that followed, examine the constitutional dynamics of the Acoord and the resulting system of governance, the political regimes in the South who variously interpreted the 13th Amendment, the way the Accord influenced war and peace in Sri Lanka and finally, a series of lost opportunities in the past two decades alone to bring about a transformation of violence and an end to violent conflict in Sri Lanka. Please read my article in full here.

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  • 27 Jul, 2007
  • 2 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Media and Communications

An inconvenient history: A reply to Victory Ivan’s viewpoints on criminal defamation

වික්ටර් අයිවන්ට පිළිතුරක් : තවත් බොහෝ දේ තිබේ උවිඳු කුරුකුලසූරිය “සාපරාධී අපහාස නීතියට එරෙහිව මෙන්ම ජනමාධ්‍ය නිදහස වෙනුවෙන්ද වික්ටර් අයිවන් විශාල වැඩ කොටසක් කර ඇති බව අවිවාදිතය. එහෙත් ඒ සියල්ල තමන් තනිවම කළ ඒවා ලෙස සැලකීම හොඳ නැත. අනෙක් අතට පසුගිය වසර වන තෙක් වික්ටර් අයිවන් නිදහස් මාධ්‍ය ව්‍යාපාරයේ ලේකම්, කැඳවුම්කරු, උපලේකම් ආදී විවිධ තනතුරු දරා ඇත. එමෙන්ම කර්තෘ සංසදයේද සාමාජිකයෙකු ලෙස කටයුතු කර ඇත. ශී‍්‍ර ලංකා පුවත්පත් ආයතනයේ අධ්‍යක්‍ෂවරයෙකු ලෙස කටයුතු කර ඇත. මාධ්‍ය සංවිධාන යමක් නොකළා යැයි කියමන සත්‍යයක් නම් එයට ඔහුද වගකිව යුතුය.” My article is a response to Victor Ivan’s recent spate of letters in Ravaya on criminal defamation in Sri Lanka. I suggest to the reader that Mr. Ivan’s submission that he was the sole voice of dissent and protest against criminal defamation charges against media personnel to be untrue. From memory, I list out the many ways in which indvidual journalists, including myself, the Free Media Movement, other journalist organisations and civil society organisations…

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Let’s stop corruption in Sri Lanka!

A litany of socio-political problems we face today can directly or indirectly be traced back to the existence and growth of corruption. Bordering on criminality, exacerbating extreme poverty, stifling economic development and ultimately frustrating democracy and good governance, corruption – from bribery and extortion to fraud and nepotism – is a wretched phenomenon that progressively wastes Sri Lanka’s social, economic and political potential. Addressing it requires a holistic approach that looks at the interdependence of the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, public institutions, private interests and civil society initiatives. This video, part of a larger media campaign conducted by the Anti-Corruption Programme of ARD has details of a national anti-corruption public exposition from 27th to 29th July 2007 that may prove to be a useful foundation in building public awareness on and against corruption. What are your ideas to help combat corruption in Sri Lanka?

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Shedding the Master: The Challenge for the Muslims

Shanthi Sachithanandam “There is among the Ceylon Moors diverse opinion on this question in this house and throughout the country. Those who are living in the Sinhalese areas are definitely for the Bill. Some of them are most enthusiastic. But my own view is that, in the final analysis the choice for us is between two masters one of whom is not so hard a task-master…” A.H. Macan Markar, MP Kalkudah electorate Speaking on the Sinhala Only Bill in 1956. This was during the post colonial period. The Southern Muslim political leaders, who formed the mainstream of that community’s politics, did choose their master, whom they considered not so hard a task master; or rather, to put it in another way, the master who commanded most influence and was able to distribute privileges and positions. Eminent personalities like Razeek Fareed and Badiuddin Mohammed set the tone for the Southern Muslims’ participation within the UNP and the SLFP, the main parties…

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Song of the Sleepless River: Music, racism and resistence

In the past two months Hugh Masekela and Afroreggae have given sold-out concerts in the Barbican. But this note is not about jazz or reggae; it traces some reverberations and reflections these events evoked. Hugh Masekela, the famous trumpet player, used his music as a channel of contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. He was a significant figure in the group of exiles who brought the evils of apartheid to world-wide attention. His rhythms, derived from South African traditions and integrated into jazz, were a soundtrack for the decades of resistance and rebellion that finally brought freedom to South Africa. Now 68, his passion and commitment have not declined and that spirit continues to resound powerfully through his presence and his music. Hugh Masekela with Paul Simon Afroreggae, the favela-based Brazilian project, has trained young people from impoverished and violent communities using percussion, dance and song, bringing the energy and creativity of these abandoned youths to new options…

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  • 24 Jul, 2007
  • 1 Comment
  • Peace and Conflict

Emergency…

Here is an extract from “Emergency ’58 – The Story of the Ceylon Race Riots”, a book Tarzie Vittachi wrote in 1958. Between eight and ten o’clock that morning the situation all over the country, notably in Colombo district, Kurunegala, Polonnaruwa and the Batticaloa—Eravur area had deteriorated so badly that even the stoutest heart and most cynical mind could not possibly help quailing at the continuance of this barbarism. In Colombo Fort, Pettah and Colombo South the thugs ran amok, beating up people who wore their shirts over their vertis, Tamil fashion. They stopped pedestrians and passing cars looking for ear-ring holes in men’s ears. It was impossible to disguise these marks of early parental affection and many Tamils paid dearly for this traditional feature. That was back in 1958. And we shouldn’t need reminding what happened 24 years ago. Black July 1983, was a turning point in Sri Lanka’s modern history. We know our history, and I won’t go…

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  • 23 Jul, 2007
  • 2 Comments
  • Advocacy

School admissions

R.M.B Senanayake The Supreme Court is looking into the Education Ministry circular on School Admissions. According to a writer in the Daily News the court wants to ensure equal treatment for all children. Presently the school admissions are based on several quotas – for children of past students, neighborhood or area based quota, preference for siblings of children already in the school etc. There is no doubt that the best principle would be to admit on ability. But ability cannot be checked at the primary entrance level since the children are too small. To my mind the principle of equality of opportunity cannot be ensured in the present scheme of things unless there is fairness in allocating public money, teachers and other resources to the schools. Presently there is no uniform grant per pupil nationally which could be used to base the total grant. Instead we find a system where all the funds are allocated by the Ministry without any…

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Groundviews YouTube video channel

All videos posted on Groundviews (and hosted on Youtube) can now be found at Video Stories. We will add new content to the Groundviews channel regularly from videos uploaded by other content providers as well as those created specifically for Groundviews. Stay tuned!

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Vienna Convention and Sri Lankan Child Worker on Death Row

Donna E. Chung, Ph.D. International Trade and Labour Compliance Advisor Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Washington, D.C. 20 July 2007 On 15 July 2007, just one day before the deadline, a judicial appeal was filed to save Rizana Nafeek, a Sri Lankan teenager, from facing execution in Saudi Arabia. Had this deadline passed without an appeal, the nineteen-year-old would have faced public beheading, after receiving no legal representation and accused of a crime she, at most, became party to through a tragic accident while working as a child in a foreign country. Compared to another case in which three Sri Lankans were sentenced to death two years ago and executed last February in Saudi Arabia without any legal representation, it is good that Rizana is finally receiving the assistance needed to file for an appeal. One would be remiss, however, to ignore the inadequacies of the Sri Lankan government’s response to Rizana’s case and overlook the urgent need for an…

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Dallas – Are you listening? Part II

පුරවැසි සටහන්: ඩලස් ඔබට ඇහෙනවාද? My first post on public transport in Sri Lanka (see Dallas – Are you listening?) ended with a challenge to the Minister of Transport to do something about the dilapidated public transport mechanisms. Part 2 brings out more examples of a dysfunctional system that subjects thousands of citizens to hellish commutes every single day. I point to the existence of mafias of private bus owners as well as political ineptitude that has led to the dramatic decline in transport services. No amount of complaints by the general public seem to alleviate their suffering. All promises to reform the system have failed. Once again I appeal to the current Minister of Public Transport – try to make a difference. Transforming one route, one bus, one journey can be a start. Please read my article in full, written in Sinhala, here.

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Wars and Waves: Sri Lanka’s internally displaced

The 28 minute documentary “Wars and Waves: Sri Lanka’s internally displaced” that was produced by COHRE, and directed and written by me, is available online. There was a small private launch a week ago in Colombo. COHRE plans to do a larger public screening followed by a discussion in the coming weeks. The purpose of the film is to highlight Sri Lanka’s IDP issue. The film will be used by COHRE as an advocacy tool, and by its network partners to provoke discussion about the issue. It’s primarily aimed at an international audience. Description of film: In Sri Lanka, a natural disaster and ongoing conflict have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Those who lost everything to the December 2004 tsunami still wait for permanent housing. Families evicted from the North of Sri Lanka in 1990 continue to live in temporary shelters. And now the recommencement of the war is forcing people to flee their homes once more towards refugee…

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“Our people are at your mercy” – Tamils flee Sri Lanka conflict

“I have a moral duty to pacify wherever there is irritation given to the Sinhalese. I have a duty to pacify them and tell them our people are at your mercy. They are running away from the LTTE’s atrocities – you have a duty to protect them” says Anandasangaree in this Al Jazeera video that has sparked some interesting commentary on its channel on YouTube.

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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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