By Shanthi Sachithanandam “Last night was full moon Oh you Sinhala Buddhist For whom breaking even an egg on a full moon day is Adharma How come lives of Tamil people became More trivial than mere eggs? Oh Venerable Monks Walking with shaven heads within yellow robes discoloured, splashed with blood and sprinkled with ash […]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour has concluded her visit to Sri Lanka. At the conclusion of her visit she released a press statement, the highlights of which are worth reiterating since they profile the continuing problem of human rights protection in Sri Lanka today. The relevant sections of the statement are: Quoting […]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is finally in the island, due, in no small measure, to the campaign of local civil society and international human rights organisations to get the government to invite her to Sri Lanka. This has happened despite the threat and invective directed against local civil society ranging from the […]
As a family we lived amidst many challenges in the past few years never wanting to leave the peninsula which will always be our home. Even though we witnessed very many battles in the Peninsula, we always felt safe living as a family. Who will want to harm anyone of us. My husband’s and my […]
The traditional Sinhala press has failed to report on the unmitigated farce that constituted the President’s recent visit to New York and the United Nations and the dire state of Sri Lanka’s international relations and diplomacy in general. My article brings out some of the salient points. For example, that friends and relatives of the […]
Earlier today, a friend sent me an email saying he was reading Dr Rajan Hoole’s “Sri Lanka: The Arrogance of Power“. Michael gives a brief summary of the book, which I won’t go in to, and concludes the message with a poem, suggesting that “sometimes a poem in a few lines can express what a […]
My article is in solidarity with the on-going peoples uprising in Myanmar (Burma), led by the Buddhist clergy. In their hundreds of thousands, they have marched across the country and in the capitol Rangoon, to demonstrate against the brutal military junta that denies them democratic governance and basic human freedoms. I examine the history of […]
TMVP leader V.Muralitharan alias Karuna leaves country to Briton few days ago leaving Pillayan for TMVP administration says several sources. At the same time Moulana reappointed as TMVP spokesman in place of Mahesh. Karuna, Pillayan issue was big headache for government and other anti LTTE groups earlier, as well as inside the TMVP. Few cadres […]
Peace and normalcy are two essential or even sole ingredients for individual and family happiness and community development. Conflicts and commotions, social upheavals and political unrest denial of equal opportunities and inequality, suppression or oppression of one community over other are some of the dangerous social evils that barricade the social, economic and cultural development […]
The diplomatic offensive of the government is in full swing even though there continues to be confusion as to who speaks authoritatively for it on the matters of war, peace and human rights – the Foreign Minister, other assorted cabinet ministers, the defence secretary, the foreign secretary, the secretary general of the peace secretariat or […]
The tragedy of Sri Lanka today is such that the government’s shrill response to the assessment of Sri Lanka’s dire humanitarian and human rights situation by Sir John Holmes, Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator was, regrettably, expected – only the degree of the petulance was surprising. While the Government’s war efforts continue […]
President Mahinda is checking the Jaffna peoples’ pulse. Now security forces take census in Jaffna. They collect all the informations Address, ID No, educational qualifications, designation, phone No, mobile No, Bicycle, motorbike No, everything from each family members. The last question soldiers asked each house, future election you will support to whom? Separately, sometimes security […]
The Daily Mirror on 29 August 2007 reports a high-level meeting at Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) between state and business leaders of Sri Lanka and a state delegation representing trade interests in Myanmar. The vice chairman of the CCC is reported to have addressed the visitors with the words, “This is an opportunity to […]
Shanthi Sachithanandam “Nation, is the geo-social entity providing maximum security for the survival of a community, Nationalism, is that fundamental desire For the assurance of a Nation Nations uniting and dividing Of their own volition, is the Expression of their urge for that assurance Alas, as usual, this time too Our Nation lost the basis […]
Groundviews was the first to review the new Al-Jazeera documentaries on Sri Lanka (Mistaking Night for Day in the New Dawn of the East: A Review Article of the al-Jazeera Documentaries, ‘How the East was Won’ and ‘Monks of War’). You can now watch this documentary online. See the Groundviews video channel for Al-Jazeera’s previous […]