Archive for April, 2008

What is the solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka?

Any satisfactory answer to this question must examine, and consider the root causes for this problem; however, the solution must be sensitive to the numerous complexities brought about by the conflict itself. In the case of Sri Lanka, it would be naive examine this problem from a purely pre-1983 perspective. The fundamental cause for this conflict is the perception by one race that the other race was privileged; there was a general perception racial inequality was prevalent. How did this perception arise? The origins lie in the 19th Century; the American missionaries established a wide network of schools in the Jaffna peninsula that molded an educated, English speaking group of people. The British then tapped into this ready pool of resources in order to fill posts in the Civil Service. Another reason for this was the British colonial policy of “divide and rule”; in fact, there is evidence that the British actively discriminated in favour of Tamils when allocating senior…

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Doesn’t she have the right to live with her daughter?

My mother in law, age 55 is from Kalliyaddy, Mannar, (an LTTE controlled area) came to live with her daughter, who is married to me in Sinnakarishal, Pesalai on 15.01.08. Kalliyady is in LTTE controlled area with around 500 families. Life there has been extremely difficult for her and during the latter stages even more difficult. It is mandatory that a member of a family join the LTTE in their struggle. However, my mother in law managed to get her daughter out of the LTTE controlled area and gave her in marriage to me.  She was adamant that she will not give her other daughter to join the LTTE and thought it was best to flee Kalliyaddy with her 25 year old daughter. During the last six months in Kalliyaddy it had been at a risk that she was able to hide her daughter and to avoid enlistment. Since the LTTE too was forcing more people to join, she thought…

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  • 26 Apr, 2008
  • 0 Comment
  • Colombo

Going home…

This video was filmed approximately two and half hours after the bomb exploded on a crowded bus at a bus-stop in Piliyandala, near Colombo, in Sri Lanka. There was a mobile phone ringing inside the bus. (please note the date-stamp on the video should read 25th April, NOT 24th April) The LTTE are being blamed for the bus explosion. Latest reports say that 24 people are dead and 40 wounded. Repost This Article

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  • 24 Apr, 2008
  • 7 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Economy

Media analysis and the chutzpah of the Sri Lankan government

The quality of chutzpah has been described vividly as a boy who murders his parents and pleads with the judge for clemency on the basis of being an orphan. In the BBC interview aired April 16, 2008, the arguments of Central Bank governor Nivard Cabraal aptly lived up to this vivid portrayal of chutzpah. Media Analysis in Sri Lanka To say that the Sri Lankan media analysis of this interview was mixed, is to put it mildly. “Nivard gets foxed by straight talk” announced the Sunday Leader on April 20. The Island editorial the next day, “Hard Talk and not so soft options”, made a contrary assertion. It not only praised the governor and the interview but went on to accuse all critics of being LTTE lobbyists! It is tempting to analyse such interviews as if they were a boxing match. Picking sides, asking who got in the most punches, whose face got bloodied and whether a knock-out blow was…

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How does one BECOME Sinhalese or Tamil in Sentiment?

My interpretation of the present impasse in the politics of Sri Lanka, determined as it is by the competitive jostling-cum-conflicts between the three main ethnic groups (where “Muslim” is ‘ethnic’ by virtue of its relationship of opposition to “Sinhalese” and “Tamil” in the same sentence), leans towards an emphasis on how one should address present circumstances. Though I am a historian, I believe that delving into ancient history is of limited value for any exercise in rapprochement. Indeed, I would go further and insist that the circumstances of the immediate present, today in 2008, must mould any constitutional and economic arrangements seeking a modus vivendi. We cannot erase memories of the atrocities committed by all parties in the conflict that rest within the minds of today’s victimised survivors. But, subject to such caveats regarding the immediate past, a bracketing and limiting of historically-based claims would be of immense benefit towards paths of reconciliation. Even the census of 1981 cannot be…

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  • 23 Apr, 2008
  • 5 Comments
  • Peace and Conflict

Paddy at Rs. 20 and Rice at Rs. 60 – What is the mystery?

Can we keep both the Farmer and the Housewife happy? It is hardly a secret that the rapidly increasing price of rice has now become an unbearable burden for the masses, with both Colombo and its immediate suburbs and even paddy cultivating areas displaying this trend. Many people feel the Government has hitherto been unable to arrest this trend, due to the political patronage enjoyed by these mill owners who are able to increase the price of rice arbitrarily. The price of rice at the market place is in no way comparable to the Rs. 19/50 paid for a kilo of Naadu paddy and the Rs. 20/50 that is paid for a kilo of Samba paddy. Not only was that so, but no variety of paddy went above Rs. 21 during the 2007 Yala Season. Many believe that the rice now available in the market is what was bought and stored by the mill monopolists during that season. Also, various…

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  • 22 Apr, 2008
  • 0 Comment
  • Colombo,
    Human Rights,
    Peace and Conflict

Speech by Justice P N Bhagwati at the IIGEP’s final press conference

Short speech by Justice P N Bhagwati at the IIGEP’s final press conference, held this morning in Colombo. Headphones recommended as the audio is weak. Repost This Article

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  • 21 Apr, 2008
  • 1 Comment
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

How close is Sri Lanka to ending the war with the LTTE?

Click on the following link to respond to the poll. Compared to a year ago, how close is Sri Lanka to ending the war with the LTTE? Repost This Article

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  • 21 Apr, 2008
  • 1 Comment
  • Media and Communications,
    Peace and Conflict

Media responsibility, the right to know what goes on in our own backyards & other such nonsense

The Media’s responsibility in securing it’s own freedom Despite my horror for cynicism, I find myself defeated into just that. While I would like to confine my ranting to discourses with my imaginary friend, reading Ruki’s post From the Tiger’s Den to an Open Prison and the comments made to it just tipped the scale on sanity. So I decided to put it out there in the hope that it will comfort the ailing and ail the comfortable. Given the masterpieces one is fed via some media, one wonders if our media is mature enough to be free. Take for example the following articles which appeared in the Sunday Observer over the past month. Two articles Distorted images – Australian media coverage on conflict in Sri Lanka and Biased reporting – BBC has done it again! by Indeewara Thilakarathne and Ranga Chandrarathne (published on 30th March and 13th April 2008 respectively) United country say Jaffna residents by Anushka Nanayakkara and…

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Groundviews on Twitter

New content notification on Groundviews is now available through Twitter. If you have no clue what that means, check out the video below.  Twitter joins the Groundviews Facebook Fan page as a way through which content on the site is pushed to different audiences using Web 2.0 technologies. In addition to easily notifying those who don’t always want to come to this site to find what’s new and already use it to keep in touch with friends, Twitter gives me the freedom to add links to the websites and online articles – commentary that resonates with the writing here. Follow Groundviews on Twitter today! Repost This Article

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From the tiger’s den to an open prison

If we knew the government will put us in an open prison, we would not have come, it would have better to die in the Vanni” Man being held in Kallimoddai after fleeing Vanni to “cleared” areas Last year, I had helped a boy from Killinochi who was arrested in Pettah and kept in inhumane conditions, worse than a caged animal, in Welikada Prison. Treatment that should not be given to even a convicted criminal, though in this case, the boy was a suspect, the basis for suspicion being him being a Tamil and coming from Killinochi. He had fled the Vanni, as he feared recruitment by the LTTE. But only to fall prey to Sri Lankan security forces and suffer inhumane and degrading treatment. So where could he go in Sri Lanka to live with dignity and without fear? His face and desperate eyes behind bars came back to me as I met more people from Vanni facing a…

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  • 19 Apr, 2008
  • 3 Comments
  • Batticaloa

Violating the Madhu Sancuary – Some brief thoughts

  Image courtesy Mannar Diocese website   The sacred shrine of Madhu is being violated. What right has the LTTE to encroach on the Pilgrim Reservation Area gazetted under the Pilgrimage Ordinance in 1982? The LTTE has violated International Conventions relating to War in entering the Church or its environs and converting it to  a battle zone. The International Community should condemn this action of the LTTE. Only cowards hide in places of worship because they are unable to face the enemy in the battlefield. The International Community must call upon the LTTE to forthwith vacate the Madhu Church Reservation Area or face international condemnation. They must remove all mortars and other military equipment from the Reservation Area. As for the Army it too should respect the law of the land. It is the State that declared the Madhu Church Reservation in 1982 under the Pilgrimage Ordinance.  How can the Armed Forces of the same state violate the law. Let not the…

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  • 19 Apr, 2008
  • 1 Comment
  • Uncategorized

Anti-competitive Activities, the source of rice crisis

Rice, which is the staple food in Sri Lanka, has become the subject of a national issue today. Government appears to being in the dark as to how to tackle issues confronting rice in the context of a market economy. As it is well known, since independence, many successive governments through various public spending programmes, supported by foreign aid, developed the rice production sector with a vehement dedication with the aim of making Sri Lanka a rice self-sufficient country. However, neither producers nor consumers of rice appeared to have benefited to the best satisfaction due to various reasons. There is a large number of small-sized rice producers scattered around the country. The smallness of their unit of operation precludes the fact that any single producer does not have the power to influence the outcomes of the rice market. On the other hand, the large number of rice consumers also does not individually have the power to influence the market outcomes….

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How high is our Social Esteem in Sri Lanka?

Our self esteem is central to our survival.  Yet, we do not value its importance as we face life’s challenges.  Self esteem, whether our own or others’, is strengthened or takes a beating, through the way people communicate with each other.  This communication is based on our power in relation to others.  So, the more hierarchical and controlling a system is, power is concentrated with a few people, chances are esteem of the people below is undermined. What is good for people is also good for nations.   So, nation’s success also depends very much on its population’s collective self esteem, which is also called social esteem. If we define esteem as the confidence in our right to be happy, feeling of being worthy, secure and the ability to think and cope with the basic challenges of life, we could measure it in many ways. Whenever I travel to other countries, one way I measure this collective social esteem of that…

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  • 16 Apr, 2008
  • 1 Comment
  • Jaffna,
    Peace and Conflict

No one to listen to our pleas

“The cost of living is sky rocketing like the Kfir jets,” said an old man standing along the road side with great sigh. He was holding his loaf of bread tightly as though it was something precious. “Yes, soon will have to give up eating,” another old man standing next to him admitted. Now a days bread is the main food item in many families. We can simply estimate the rate of cost of living with the price increase of wheat flour and bread.   Posing a question regarding the cost of living to a crowd in front of a grocery shop a man answers saying, “so many reporters and media people have visited us and asked the same question again and again, our silly people have been repeating the same story but we hardly witness any outcome. They just pour out their grievances. On one hand our people gain some mental solace, on the other hand the reporter gets…

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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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