“His name is Kamaleswaran”
Justice Denied to Survivors of the Kumarapuram Massacre Featured image courtesy Shehan Peruma “Shoot me but, please don’t kill my children,” pleaded Kanthappoody Kamaladevi with her arms outstretched over her head, just…
Trincomalee
Paradise Lost: The hidden costs of tourism development in Sri Lanka
August 27 is World Tourism Day. This year, the theme is “promoting universal accessibility.” Groundviews decided to focus on sustainable tourism – and specifically, on how tourism development has impacted local communities. Tourism is…
Muttur Siege: Reflecting 10 years on
Featured image provided by author Ten years is a significant milestone: a decade; a generation. A lot can happen in ten years and a lot has. Ten years ago, the smartphone was still…
Is the Air Pollution Analysis for the Sampur Coal Plant Credible?
Featured image courtesy Tamil Guardian From Lareef Zubair, with contributors Shashini Rathnayake, Janan Vishwanathan and Zeenas Yahiya of the Foundation for Environment, Climate and Technology Where does the Wind take pollutants from…
Overstepping boundaries: Nazeer or Navy?
Image courtesy Ceylon News Eastern Province Chief Minister Nazeer Ahamed’s recent row with a Navy Officer has now become infamous. In response, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) evidently jumped the gun, ordering…
Seeing the “Eastern Outburst” on the Sinhala canvas: In defence of Eastern Province Chief Minister
The Navy high Command has taken one step too far, too quick. The Daily Mirror (DM) on 27 May (2016), carried in one of its columns a statement made by the Navy…
Political violence and (this time) the Chief Minister!
Chief Minister Nazeer Ahamed’s outburst is not acceptable by any standards. As the senior most political office holder in the province, he has a much bigger responsibility to ensure that law, order…
The fabrications of Yahapalanaya: 65,000 metal houses for the North & East
Photograph courtesy Reuters In late December 2015, the Ministry of Prison Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs opened bids from various contractors to build 65,000 houses in the Northern and Eastern…
Civil Society in the East appeal to UNWGEID for Demilitarisation
Featured image courtesy RightsNow Members of civil society, including families of those disappeared in Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee have come together to issue a statement to the UN Working Group on Enforced and…
#icanChangeSL & #wecanChangeSL: Shaping a new Sri Lanka
Engage with this campaign in Tamil (புதிய இலங்கையை வடிவமைப்போம்…) or Sinhala (ශ්රී ලංකාවේ අනාගතය හැඩගැස්වීම සදහා…) too! ### The Presidential poll of 8 January 2015 inspired the largest number of voters in Sri Lanka’s…
waiting for the war to end
In this place there are No trees no old house With the rope swing Between the karatha kolombang Trees Here there is only White heat white-brown sand Four tin walls And a…
Erasing Identities: Tracing Sri Lanka’s Post-war Journey through the Changing Realities of Trincomalee
Introduction When I went to Trincomalee last November with a few university friends I noticed a distinct unfriendliness in the air. While growing up, I often visited Trincomalee, because my cousins lived…
Continuing Detention of Tamil Women and a Girl Child under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
Image courtesy Sri Lanka Brief In 2009 the government announced that the LTTE has been wiped out from the country with the end of the armed conflict. However, in the past few…
Mixed Messages and Bland Oversimplification in President Rajapaksa’s Independence Day Speech
In a significant act of outreach the Independence Day ceremonies were held in Trincomalee, a provincial city with a pronounced ethnic mix; while President Rajapaksa presented one part of his message in…
Sri Lanka’s 65th Anniversary of Independence
Photo via NowPublic Greetings Lanka! Today marks the 65th Anniversary of Independence of our country. This year would also mark the fourth year anniversary of ‘defeating terrorism’. But, little has changed, and…
