Archive for June, 2011

Perspectives and Commentary on the Leadership Training Programme for University Undergraduates

[Author's note: As you are probably aware the leadership training for undergraduates is now well under way in 28 military installations around the country. Although the government has stated that this will be a leadership training program rather than a military training program, it has conceded that the military will be involved in a number of aspects of the program. Students have also been informed that this training is “mandatory” for university entrance, though there now appears to be a great deal of confusion with regards to this provision as Government officials have issued a series of contradicting statements. These decisions have also been challenged by many students, rights groups, student unions, teachers’ unions and academics who have raised a number of concerns about the way in which this program has been conceived and implemented. This issue has also exacerbated a worsening crisis in local universities as the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) are also in the midst of trade...

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Identities And Borders In South Asia: A View From The Left

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Partition, 1947, courtesy The Hindu Introduction From the partition of British India to the civil war in Sri Lanka, the attempt to impose national borders in accordance with ethnic, linguistic or religious identities in South Asia has spawned civil wars and crimes against humanity, resulting in almost unimaginable suffering and bloodshed. This is all the more preposterous in a region where migration and the mixing of peoples and cultures have been occurring from time immemorial. The Left potentially has a conceptual and theoretical framework which would allow it to propose solutions to these conflicts, yet flawed interpretations of ‘the right to self-determination’ have led many on the Left to compound the problems instead. A different interpretation suggests that the key goals should be less violence and more democracy, and taking down barriers between peoples rather than erecting more and more of them. The birth of India and Pakistan It is surely a paradox that a non-violent movement in India for…

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Overseeing the Farm

Planning a visit home is not easy for a Tamil returning to Jaffna. First, he needs to fly into the international airport at Katunayake and pass through customs like any traveler. He may be asked to step into a back room, to answer why he carries the Economist in hand luggage, or stickers from the World Wildlife campaign to save the tiger, given that such animals have not been spotted on the island in thousands of years, if indeed they ever sauntered through the wild grass or paddy fields. He may be grilled about family members in Wellawatte, and what career he pursues in the Scarborough, Ontario refuge where wild and liberal creatures found a home before conservatives took over in Ottawa; he may be whisked through secondary, and into a waiting vehicle for a fast ride to the upstairs room at CID headquarters where he will meet his guide, his helper, who will say, come friend, the campaign is…

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When allegations become evidence

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Media and advocacy groups make mistakes. It’s true. The reason for the errors can vary from simple human error, time constraints resulting in insufficient research to subtle manipulation of facts and wording to push an agenda. Once a mistake has been pointed out, most reputable organisations will publish an acknowledgement along with the correction. Less reputable organisations may ignore the error or correct the error without any acknowledgement. How organisations deal with errors are a great indicator of the quality of the publication. The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, appointed an advisory panel to report on the final stages of Sri Lanka’s separatist war. The Darusman report was published in April and human rights advocacy groups, including Amnesty International, International Crisis Group and Human Rights Watch, initiated a controversial media campaign accusing Sri Lanka of war crimes. The most glaring error propagated by this media campaign is the assertion that there was “credible evidence” of crimes. There was not. The…

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The state of tomfoolery: 2018 Comonwealth Games in Hambantota

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A prominent English newspaper recently reported that the government has paid US$ 2.4 million to a British PR firm to promote its candidacy to host the 2018 Comonwealth Games in Hambanthota. This news item would definitely raise the eye brows of many Sri Lankans who constantly get beaten by the scourge of cost of living. For those who are not aware of international currency rates; 2.4 million US dollars means 264 million Rupees. The minimum salary of a state sector worker in Sri Lanka is Rs. 11000. The average monthly income of a middle class family in Sri Lanka is Rs. 20,000. But, the average monthly expenditure of an ordinary middle class family is way higher than that. As we all know, almost every one of us can feel the excessive pressure, generated by the soaring cost of living. Everyone in this country, including the government of Sri Lanka, has adopted a “hand to mouth” policy when it comes to…

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History is Irreversible – A ‘Postmortem’ on the Seminar, “Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience”

The three day long seminar titled “Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience” conducted by the SL Army and Ministry of Defence was concluded recently. During the event, top level military and civil officers addressed the international delegates and shared their experiences with regard to ‘defeating terrorism”. However, there are many views, opinions, doubts and speculations about the outcome of this seminar. Hopefully, the wheeling of time will provide satisfactory answers to many of these questions. Apart from this, I would like to point out another visible issue that prevailed throughout the seminar, which strikes me as pertinent. All the speakers who addressed this event prevented themselves from uttering one significant name. That particular name was ‘unmentioned’ and ‘unmentionable,’ and it was of course “Former Army Commander Former General Sarath Fonseka”. As we all know, Fonseka was responsible for engineering the military victory by using his knowledge, skills and combat experiences. Soon after the war, he was praised and honoured as the…

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The limits of the Mahinda Chintanaya: FTZ workers and Buddhist monks rise up against government

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Photo courtesy Vikalpa Protests in Katunayake Free Trade Zone: No police in sight has audio and video footage of the violent protests over the course of the week in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone. A 10 minute video of the protests on Thursday, after the Police killed 21 year old Free Trade Zone (FTZ) worker Roshan Chanaka, can be seen below. As Rasika Jayakody notes in an article dealing with Rohan’s killing, “Apart from this tragic death, this brutal police attack against Free Trade Zone workers left more than 200 people injured. On Monday evening, Ragama and Negombo hospitals were flooded with injured protesters. It is, undoubtedly, one of the brutal crackdowns in recent history. There are several video footages which clearly show the barbaric and inhuman manner that some police officers carried out attacks against unarmed protesters.” The withdrawal of the proposed pensions bill is a major embarrassment for the government. So embarrassing in fact that some reports suggest…

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Giving the middle finger: Sri Lanka’s conflicting responses to war crimes allegations

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Mr. A Nawan, Deputy Solicitor General of Sri Lanka This symbolic screen grab is from a short video on Channel 4′s website, on the occasion of screening in Geneva a one-hour documentary into the denouement of the war in Sri Lanka. As Channel 4′s website notes, “Disturbing footage in the film includes the apparent extra-judicial massacre of prisoners by government forces, the aftermath of targeted shelling of civilian hospitals and the bodies of female Tamil fighters who appear to have been sexually assaulted. Also examined in the film are atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers, including the use of human shields, and footage depicting the aftermath of a suicide bombing in a government centre for the displaced.” The Deputy Solicitor General of Sri Lanka notes in response to the screening of the documentary, “We have already made a preliminary investigation on the video and we have scientific material established that this particular video is not authentic.” Clearly he knows…

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How Sri Lanka Defeated Terrorism, Defence Seminar: Observations from a participant

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From the 31st of April to the 2nd of May I attended the Defense Seminar organized by the Sri Lankan Army. I wish to draw on what I saw as some of the positive and negative points of the conference. I will also comment on some of the many ‘highlights’ that occurred during the conference and perhaps give a different narrative of these from the ones I have read so far. What can be said from the outset is not the fact that the seminar was not the resounding success that it was portrayed by some parties, nor was it a dismal failure. The seminar was a mixed bag. While the seminar was framed as the “Sri Lankan Experience” in defeating terrorism, it mainly presented the view of the Army’s experience on defeating terrorism. I sincerely believe that the army played a pivotal role in combating terrorism, and that without the drive, courage, and execution of the strategic plan set…

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Mojo for mayhem or source of serendipity? Sri Lankan Army’s model to defeat terrorism

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Since May 2009, we have been told by government that the Sri Lanka army defeated the LTTE using a combination of new tactics and strategies, undergirded by an unswerving political will helped by weapons supplies, credit lines and diplomatic support from the likes of China, Iran and Pakistan. There are many versions to the story, but the essential ingredients remain the same. To its credit, the government’s recently concluded Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience seminar in Colombo placed on record, from the perspective of the army, the reasons for its victory over the LTTE and lessons learnt. It is far too interesting a document – for what it states as much as for what it does not – to be limited in circulation to the conference attendees alone, and we publish it here for debate and discussion. To view full screen, click here.

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People are not a flock of sheep: The murder of a 21 year old by the Police

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The 21 year old Free Trade Zone (FTZ) worker Roshan Chanaka, who was seriously injured during the clash between the police and the FTZ protesters on Monday, passed away mid-week to his deadly injuries. His death has now sent shock waves to the government. According to reliable sources, prominent cabinet ministers were seen at his residence this morning, shedding crocodile tears over Roshen’s death. It is reported that all the SLFP party organizers in Gampaha district are advised to attend his funeral and console his family members. Giving a new twist to this controversy, IGP Mahinda Balasuriya has resigned from his portfolio. He has sent his retirement papers to the Ministry of Defence and has gone on leave with immediate effect. Senior DIG N.K. Illangakoon has taken over the duties as the acting Police Chief. Therefore, quite obviously, this cannot be considered as just another premature death caused by ‘misfortune’. It has toppled the top chair of the Police Department….

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30 years ago: A time for reflection

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Image taken from Jaffna Photo Gallery I write this as a response to Concerned Citizen’s comments on the public lecture and discussion  on the Burning of the Jaffna Public Library led by  Silan Kadirgamar held at ICES a few days ago, recounting those pre-’83 days days of terror and terrorism. In order to break the silence that concerned citizen her/himself is propagating, I will write in one of my many names. Concerned Citizen says that the discussion was paltry and diverted attention from any comparison with current political developments being drawn; one of them obviously is the issue of accountability as regards the last phase of the war. I had a very different experience sitting through the event. And that experience I would say is theoretically registered through a critical phenomenological mode. For me the most important aspect of the lecture and discussion was what was unstated, but nevertheless poignantly implicit. It was not one of your regular forums full…

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Protests in Katunayake Free Trade Zone: No police in sight

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Vikalpa captured these images and video at the protest held yesterday in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone. Tens of thousands of workers have been involved in violent demonstrations this week against a proposed pension bill seen as grossly unfair. Over 200 were injured on Monday alone, by Tuesday, the demonstrations forced the closure of 70% of the factories in the zone, forcing the government to withdraw the bill. In March, the government noted how it would benefit the working classes, Referring to President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent statement on the proposed pension scheme in Parliament, Labour Minister Gamini Lokuge told the Sunday Observer that the Bill will be presented in Parliament next month. The working class in the country will be provided a permanent income for life after retirement under this scheme. “Although the private sector pension scheme issue was discussed with trade unions in the past, it would definitely be introduced this time in keeping with the Mahinda Chintana concept,…

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Burning of the Jaffna Public Library: 30 years on

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Image taken from Jaffna Photo Gallery 1st June marked the 30th anniversary of the burning of the Jaffna Public Library. An eye witness account was delivered at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies by Mr Silan Kadirgamar,former senior lecturer University of Jaffna, former President of Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality, Jaffna branch and Founding member of Jaffna Citizen’s Committee(1981). The speaker recounted the events that contributed to the heightening of ethnic tensions since Sri Lanka attained Independence in 1948 culminating in the fateful incident which he felt was a turning point in the ethnic conflict. His analysis of the event was primarily to remind society that they must ensure that such a crime should not recur as ‘those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it’. Unfortunately, the limited few comments from the audience seemed to trivialize the subject by recounting details of the incident rather than discussing its substance. Others tried to offer dubious leads to the…

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Placing ‘Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience Seminar’ in a critical light

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Admirably, the Government was kind and open enough to provide a live web feed of the proceedings of the three day Defeating Terrorism: Sri Lankan Experience seminar, held in Colombo. This allowed for non-invitees and non-participants like us to monitor the saccharine presentations via the web, flagging inconsistencies as well as inconvenient truths that were unsurprisingly left out or marginalised in the proceedings. Often tongue-in-cheek but flagging serious issues and concerns, our updates over Twitter and on this site were anchored to content presented at the seminar by a range of government and army representatives. We published a key address by Australian counter-terrorism expert David Kilcullen on Day One and, given it’s official stance, rather surprising comments by the US Embassy’s Defence Attache on Day Two. On day three, the final day of the seminar, we listened in real time to the presentations by Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Governor of the Central Bank, Lalith Weeratunge, Permanent Secretary to the President of…

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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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