Archive for July, 2008

Slow Creep — the World Tamil Movement and Tharisanam TV

The banning in Canada last week of the World Tamil Movement (WTM) and the taking down in London of Tharisanam TV a couple of days ago, hit the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a double punch that largely went unnoticed in Sri Lanka. Last week’s listing of the WTM as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government, caused a furor in that country that went beyond the usual GoSL-LTTE split. The decision by Ottawa sparked as much debate on both sides of the Liberal-Conservative constituencies as can be seen on any Sri Lankan blog. Many of the voices remain supremely ignorant of the war in Sri Lanka, as well as the greater Tamil nationalist struggle, with much of the argument taking the predictable route of “terrorism is wrong” vs “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”. Announcing the ruling, Canada’s Public safety Minister Stockwell Day said that Ottawa had sufficient and reasonable evidence that the WTM had been…

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Remembering Raviraj

Nadarajah Raviraj would have celebrated his 46th birthday this year. In the spirit of citizens’ journalism, unionblackcolombo remembers his friend, killed in November 2006 in a video exclusive to Groundviews.

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When meritocracy dies and nepotism reigns supreme

The country got a new Inspector General of Police (IGP) on July 1 with Jayantha Wickremaratna’s appointment to the highest position in the Police Department. His predecessor Victor Perera was not left much time to be twiddling his fingers because he was almost immediately appointed the Governor of the Northern Province. Mr.Perera’s predecessor Chandra Fernando too did not get much time to enjoy his retirement. He was appointed as the Advisor to the President on Eastern Infrastructure Development.   Now if one comes to the conclusion after reading my opening paragraph that the two latter men while they were in office were pandering more to the whims and fancies of the government in power than looking into the best interest of the Police force bearing at the back of their minds that a plum assignment would await them once they retire, I would not blame the readers. That is exactly the conclusion I have come to after observing the behavior…

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Going for the Kill in More Ways than One

What does the failed abduction attempt against Namal Perera of the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), which turned into a brutal assault on him and his friend Mahinda Ratnaweera , Political Officer at the British High Commission, tell us about the Rule of Law, human rights protection, the culture of impunity and law and order in Sri Lanka today ?   It took place in close proximity to a major security checkpoint, an army installation and ironically enough, the media ministry and not in the early hours of the morning or at dead of night, but in the evening on a busy road with considerable traffic.   The sheer chutzpah and audacity of the attackers is a further reminder of the culture of impunity.  Who would dare to perpetrate such a dastardly deed in this vicinity at this time if they were not “cock sure” of being able to get away with it?  How will the array of apparatchiks and flunkeys…

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Mehmet Bal: A Turkish-Sri Lankan story

Content of this submission deleted on the request of the author who fears for Mehmat Bal’s life. 

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  • 2 Jul, 2008
  • 0 Comment
  • Peace and Conflict

The attack against Namal and the culture of impunity

We reproduce in full a statement by the Free Media Movement on the attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka. Namal Perera, the most recent victim of an abduction attempt, was a former colleague who significantly facilitated a number of progressive media initiatives in Sri Lanka including the creation and adoption of the Media Charter. This is the second time I have run with a story of an abduction of a former colleague. The first was a little over a year ago. Although Vijayan was lucky, those who abducted him have not been identified to date.  Ironically, as I was on the way to see Namal at Apollo hospital on the night of his assault, I was stopped and checked at a prominent and well-known checkpoint just before the hospital. Clearly, only the white vans that operate with false license plates have a magical way around, through, under or over them.    Attacks against media in Sri Lanka: Whither democracy? 1st…

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  • 1 Jul, 2008
  • 1 Comment
  • Colombo,
    Constitutional Reform,
    Economy

GSP PLUS AND THE NEED FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: WHAT WE DID AND DID NOT SAY

Rohan Edrisinha and Asanga Welikala    The Political Watch Column of the Sunday Island of 22 June titled Opposition at Sea  included a critique of an article co-authored by us which was published on Groundviews (and in the Sunday Leader) sometime ago, in which we argued that if Sri Lanka was serious about ensuring that its laws were compatible with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a constitutional amendment to its bill of rights was desirable. We are disappointed that the columnist has either completely misunderstood several of the arguments put forward or distorted what we stated. We recognized in our article that one of the EU requirements for the extension of the GSP Plus privileges was BOTH ratification and effective implementation of several international treaties and covenants including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As the columnist rightly pointed out, ratification is one matter, implementation another. But our point was that even with respect to…

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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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