Reconciliation for peace
Call for peace and hope The search for human security away from conflict and indignity is global and ceaseless. The demands of human security include a balanced view of tragedies that are the…
Vavuniya
Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Breaking the Myth and Bringing the Truth
– Professor Hizkias Assefa The platform for an “genuine reconciliation” should be rooted via the democratic exercises, rights and participation of all citizens throughout a country. But, if people are under fear…
Did the Sri Lankan Army use cluster bombs and phosphorus bombs against civilians?
The partial, unprofessional and biased mainstream media reportage, particularly in English and Sinhala, on on-going proceedings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has been repeatedly flagged on this site. On…
‘Learning Lessons’ from those affected by war: Does the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission really listen?
The most recent sessions of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) were held in the conflict affected North from 18 to 20 September, at which a large number of persons, particularly…
Translation of Tamil newspaper reports on the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission hearings held in Killinochchi and Mullaitivu
Given below are translations of reports on the hearings of the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) held in Killnochchi and Mullaitivu that appeared in Tamil newspapers. Due to the deafening silence and…
The End of Displacement in Sri Lanka?
In June 2010 the Minister for Resettlement, Milroy Fernando stated that there were 60,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka and that the Government would resettle them by August 2010. With…
NATION-BUILDING: WHICH PROJECT FOR THE NORTH & EAST?
When faced with challenging human rights and humanitarian law issues who should we seek out for advice but a celebrated former Vice President of the International Court of Justice? Faced with the…
Inheritance
There is no rule written in an enormous ledger by an acolyte angel that says a poet will write every day until death. The uncivil war will end according to absence of…
The Wedding: An imagined portrait of an unusual day
He was a filmstar, they said. But she had never much cared for films. She had heard of schoolgirls hoarding dog-eared posters; giggling over provocative poses; singing the songs the stars sang;…
Hand Washing
Murder cannot be hidden, bodies decompose but skeletons remain; certainly they can be washed from beach into sea and stripped clean by carnivorous fish yet the panel requires just a few examples,…
On Replacing the Sun-God
The Sun God disappeared from the scene in May, 2009 killed by advancing army units, not clear which brave soldier pulled the trigger, for some reason government has kept quiet about circumstances,…
Mass Marriage, Vavuniya
What a large and dramatic idea occurred to the brigadier in charge of rehabilitation , to organize a mass wedding to spur former Tiger troops into formation under a different philosophy and…
Vanni in the year after war: Tears of despair and fear
About six months after the end of the war, in November 2009, the government of Sri Lanka relaxed restrictions on travel to the Vanni[1] and started to allow some of the displaced…
We Regret To Inform You That Your Condolences Cannot Be Accepted At This Time
We regret to inform you that your condolences cannot be accepted at this time. At present, both our pain and our hope defy that word, which has been offered and denied us,…
The end of war: Framed reflections by Deshan Tennekoon
[Editors note: Deshan Tennekoon is one of Sri Lanka’s best, young photographers. We are ardent fans, and requested Deshan to send photos that amongst the hundreds taken by him, resonated most with…
