Archive for the ‘Features’

Stratfor and Sri Lanka: An initial study of ‘The Global Intelligence Files’

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Groundviews and Wikileaks Groundviews has in the past published two key article based on content obtained through Wikileaks. Wikileaks on Sri Lanka: A breakdown and implications was the first article on the unprecedented release of US diplomatic cables, and published just hours after the tranche was made available on the now well known, and much attacked website. Groundviews was told some time ago that the US Embassy in Colombo used this article as a key resource in going through the tranche of material on Wikileaks as it pertained to Sri Lanka. From draft to official text: Wikileaks reveals the US response to the end of war in Sri Lanka was a more specific piece, that looked at the drafting process of official statements in general by the US Government and in particular, a statement by the US State Department dealing with one of the most important events on Sri Lanka in 2009. This article was tweeted by the official Wikileaks…

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“Building the base”: An interview with Sunila Abeysekara about post-war Sri Lanka

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Sunila, how do you look at Sri Lanka today?  There are different interpretations ranging from a constitutional dictatorship to clan- run ‘deep state’? And you have decades of human rights activism behind you; you have been to the Geneva Human Rights council for nearly a decade to campaign for rights in Sri Lanka, but today Geneva has become the “f word” in dominant political discourse in Sri Lanka? Why?  Indeed it is true to say that President Rajapaksa, his brothers and son and nephews, whatever you know, they constitute a block, a family block that actually controls the political and economic future of our country at this moment. So definitely it is not a democracy. Definitely what has happened in the past months have shown us that there is no rule of law and the constituent features of any democracy; the independence of judiciary, the freedom of the press, all these, do not exist in Sri Lanka. So, at least…

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A simple experiment to highlight ingrained racism in Sri Lanka

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When Etisalat dreams of a Sri Lanka where everyone is connected, it’s clearly thinking only of the Sinhalese. Why else would the company’s website feature, so prominently, a Lion to depict ‘everyone’ in Sri Lanka? In popular media, corporate marketing and government output, there are numerous other examples of a racism so deeply internalised and ingrained in Sri Lanka that even when flagged, it is dismissed as unimportant or at best, of marginal and passing interest. As we tweeted, @30streetstudio @etisalatsl It’s this that’s most worrying about #srilanka – ingrained racism, so normalised it is, to most, invisible. #lka — Groundviews (@groundviews) February 13, 2013   Another particularly revealing example from Government recently came in the form of the Police spokesperson’s comments over an ill-thought out and executed census of vehicular traffic coming into Colombo. As reported in Ceylon Today, the forms handed out to motorists in light vehicles were only in Sinhala, raising the ire of the Government’s own…

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The Sri Lankan President’s Twitter archive and Propaganda 2.0: New challenges for online dissent

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The President enters Twitter Last month, the President of Sri Lanka began tweeting officially as @PresRajapaksa. The account is already authenticated by Twitter. Though @PresRajapaksa’s profile notes that “tweets from the President are signed MR.” there is, to date, not a single tweet penned by the President himself. The launch of the account was instructive in how the regime is perceived online by voices not usually openly vocal about mainstream politics. Under the hashtag #PresidentTweets, dozens of voices on Twitter openly poked fun at the President’s entry to Twitter. The tweets, only a fraction of which are captured below, poked fun at the President’s closest political associates, his role in the impeachment of the Chief Justice, his violent, autocratic tendencies and the Rajapaksa family’s nepotism. An inauspicious start then to what objectively is a welcome development – the entry of the President to a medium that is now used by so many leading political figures around the world. For those…

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Sri Lanka’s 65th Anniversary of Independence

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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 there is little to celebrate this year. The country is treading a catastrophic path and our future is a disaster waiting to happen. For the one who hath his eyes open, it would be obvious that we are gradually plunging into an abyss from which there will be no return. Even though we have been treading this path for quite a while now, over the course of last few months we have taken gigantic leaps in our journey. How did we get here? It would seem that the common attitude that binds the different peoples of this land is stupidity. The stupidity that gave life to three violent armed struggles; the stupidity that made the Tamils remain silent when thousands of Muslims were evicted from the North; the…

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Another US Resolution on Sri Lanka: The Road to Nowhere?

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Photo courtesy JDS So it looks like the US will bring another resolution on Sri Lanka at the next session of the UN’s Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva this March. Quite frankly – I am shocked. US foreign policy as it relates to Sri Lanka has been confusing and is replete with complications and contradictions. One can’t help but wonder: Where is all of this heading? Is this a road to nowhere? I really wish I knew. But at this point, I’m not sure that anybody does. If the US goes ahead with another (weak) resolution, what would be the point? It would accomplish nothing. And what does that mean for US foreign policy in Sri Lanka, or – more broadly – what might that mean for American foreign policy in the region? The US didn’t seem to be that concerned about human rights here when people were being slaughtered in 2009. Make no mistake about it: Washington knew…

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Implementing LLRC recommendations in Sri Lanka: Progress?

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Image via Sri Lanka Brief Sri Lanka has achieved considerable progress in implementing the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and ready to defend its record at the next session in Geneva, Foreign Secretary Karunathilaka Amunugama said. So says the President’s Media Unit. We are a tad less sanguine. Even a cursory reading of the latest LLRC NAP Monitoring Report, updated on 2013.01.22, indicates significant gaps between propaganda and reality. As we tweeted a few days ago, 1. @presrajapaksa‘s Govt report says no media restrictions in N/E cl.ly/image/0O20173m… But reality groundviews.org/2012/10/02/men… #lka #srilanka — Groundviews (@groundviews) January 27, 2013 2. ZERO movement on LLRC recommendation for RTI/FOI cl.ly/image/1h1s2F1v… What is @presrajapaksa hiding and scared of? #lka #srilanka #media — Groundviews (@groundviews) January 27, 2013 3. Utter lack of independence in independent judiciary after CJ impeachment by @presrajapaksa. Army CoI useless cl.ly/image/3o0P470F… #lka — Groundviews (@groundviews) January 27, 2013 4. Another lie by @presrajapaksa‘s Govt. Armed thugs do roam…

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Black January: Ceaseless media suppression in Sri Lanka, with total impunity

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Image via RNW The month of January is coming to an end and yet again it has been filled with a number of major attacks on media freedom in Sri Lanka. For this reason the month is often referred to as the ‘Black January’ of media suppression. This year too, journalists’ and organisations in the country are commemorating Black January as an event to mark continued suppression of independent media and journalists in Sri Lanka. The war against the LTTE was accompanied by another war, the war against independent media in Sri Lanka. The war against the LTTE came to an end in 2009 however the war against free media in Sri Lanka has not. It is a war that can not be won. Freedom of speech is an inherent right which can not be suppressed forever. The commemoration of Black January is itself a vivid example of the vitality of free speech, in desperate circumstances. What follows is an…

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Prageeth Ekneligoda: A 3 year struggle to find husband, father, cartoonist and journalist

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Image courtesy Vikalpa I had never met Prageeth Ekneligoda. But after he disappeared, on 24th Jan. 2010, I read some of his articles. I found them to be thought provoking and cover many issues related to freedom of expression, human rights in general, democracy etc. But what struck me most was some of his cartoons. I was first shown the cartoons at his house, by his wife Sandya, just a few days after he had disappeared. Amongst the cartoons that made a lasting impression on me was one that showed about ten men abusing a single woman. It was titled “if the will of the majority identifies as democracy”. I found it very powerful in it’s meaning and simple to understand. Subsequently, I had regularly used this cartoon in making presentations and conducting trainings, on issues related to minority rights and majority – minority relations in a democracy. It had always proved to be provocative, from international audiences to teenaged…

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Book Review: The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

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Image courtesy National Youth Front A Genre Defying Future Classic on the Psyche of a Republic A contemporary masterpiece that interweaves fact, fiction and fantasy with seamless and vibrant prose, the Constitution is a must read for all literature lovers. The Constitution was first published in 1978 in not one, but three languages – the only piece of literature in the reviewers understanding to be thus translated at its very outset – an indication of the confidence that the authors had in its literary value and broad appeal. Due to popular demand, eighteen new editions have been published since, each with minor (and sometimes major) improvements. The book is so popular that moves in 2000 to cease publication and replace with another text were met with vehement protests and organised book burning ceremonies. In its 34-plus years of existence, the Constitution has truly proved to be a ‘living text’ – an accolade usually reserved for the masterpieces that have stood…

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The devastating impeachment of the Chief Justice in Sri Lanka: Interview with Asanga Welikala

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Image courtesy The Hindu Groundviews interviewed Asanga Welikala, a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (the institutional anchor of this website) on the unprecedented constitutional crisis that has gripped Sri Lanka. Over the years, Asanga’s appeared many times on Groundviews, including most recently, speaking about the dynamics of constitution making in Sri Lanka post-independence. He has also contributed some of this site’s most read and quoted articles. For ease of access, engagement and virality on the web, Asanga’s remarkably frank and insightful interview is broken up into segments based on the questions he was asked. Please outline the seriousness of the present constitutional imbroglio regarding the impeachment of the Chief Justice. Why should the ordinary citizen care about what is going on? Many in the South, who consume State media, believe that Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was corrupt, and therefore feel it is justified she was impeached. What is your response to this widespread perception? Since the announcement…

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Appointment of the new Chief Justice in Sri Lanka: Resistance should continue

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Photo by AFP/ Ishara S. Kodikara, via Arab News ‘We won’t allow you to let the judiciary go to hell. We won’t allow you to do that.’ - (Mathiaparanan Abraham Sumanthiran MP) No self-respecting person with integrity, or a shred of concern for justice should accept the President’s offer to become the next Chief Justice of the country. Those who support his bid, including, Vasudeva Nanayakkara who told the “judiciary to go to hell in Parliament on public camera, are guilty of complicity with the government’s bald attack on the independence of the Judiciary and attempt to undermine public confidence in it by twisting truth.  They join the regime in insulting judges, condone thuggery against peaceful dissent, dishonour the supremacy of the Parliament, and internationally disgrace the democratic institutions of Sri Lanka. If the Bar Association accepts the new Chief Justice, they will undermine not only their own credibility but also that of the whole legal profession.  Sri Lanka will join…

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The consequences of the Black Friday impeachment will be game changing

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Image by AP, courtesy The Hindu The Black Friday impeachment is another shameful day in the history of our country. The absolute majority in parliament obtained through dubious means has been used once again by this government to deny justice to the chief justice of our country and undermine the independence of the judiciary. It is not a black day just for the judiciary. It is a black day for every single citizen of this country. In undermining the judiciary and the rule of law, the freedom and liberties that citizens of this country are born with, have been robbed through the tyranny of the parliamentary majority. A year and a half ago when the administration brought an ad hominem bill to expropriate private property I said that democracy denoted by absolute majority rule was very dangerous and could destroy the liberties of citizens in the absence of safeguards to ensure justice, freedom and property rights. It was unfortunate that…

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A legal primer: The impeachment of the Chief Justice in Sri Lanka

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Photo from MSN News Groundviews interviewed Luwie Ganeshathasan, a Researcher in the Legal and Constitutional Unit of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (the institutional home of this website), on several key issues arising from the impeachment proceedings against the current Chief Justice of Sri Lanka, Shirani Bandaranayake. ### Is there provision in the constitution to impeach the CJ? Yes. The Constitution in Article 107 provides for the impeachment of not only the Chief Justice, but any judge of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal. Has it happened in the past, how and why? Yes, on several occasions, attempts have been made to impeach judges of the superior courts. In 1983, Justices Wimalaratne and Colin-Thome of the Supreme Court were brought before a Parliamentary Select Committee based on an allegation made by a person involved in a case heard by the Judges. The Select Committee, while not upholding the personal allegations against the judges, expressed reservations about the verdict…

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The Rajapaksa ‘Sangamaya’: Creating employees and customers of citizens

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Image from Lanka Standard The following video features the last couple of a minutes of a longer speech delivered by Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama at the launch of The Sri Lankan Republic at 40: Reflections on Constitutional History, Theory and Practice, a collection of scholarly essays edited by Asanga Welikala, a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (the institutional home of Groundviews) on 21st December 2012. In this excerpt, Dr. Jayawickrama offers a devastating critique of the Rajapaksa administration and its mode of governance. He notes that Sri Lanka today has moved beyond an Executive Presidency based model to a corporate governance mode for the entire country – the Rajapaksa ‘sangamaya‘ (or company) – as noted by the President’s brother, Basil Rajapaksa. After flagging in brief some of the serious challenges that arise from this mindset and mode of governance, Dr. Jayawickrama ends with a pertinent question: “What if the [Rajapaksa] ‘samagama‘ goes bust? The speech in full can be viewed…

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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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