Archive for the ‘Media and Communications’

The duty to talk loudly about Police Reforms

Police Reform was the theme of a discussion organised by the Commonwealth Initiative in Delhi last week. Among the participants were senior police officers from South Asian countries including a few who are retired. Also present were many other persons interested in the issue. Throughout the discussion there was consensus that something has gone terribly wrong with the policing systems in South Asian countries and that the absence of radical reforms of the police threaten the very stability of the nations concerned. While everyone agreed that the problems are related to the colonial origins of the institutions, everyone also agreed that the failure to take the necessary action for reform lies with the states, as well as the failures of political and civil society movements in these countries. As this meeting was taking place, the incident that happened at the Bambilipitiya sea in Sri Lanka relating to the killing of Balavarnam Sivakumara was becoming news both in the country as…

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The Case of Tissainayagam: Who is on Trial?

J.S. Tissainayagam, who had been under detention since March 7- 2009, was convicted on all three charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act  (PTA) on August 31- 2009 by the High Court of Colombo, and given the maximum sentence of 20 years rigorous incarceration. In a symbolic and focal sense, what has been tried and imprisoned is the Tamil nation, and all those who stand for its right of self-determination. Journalist Tissainayagam stood for the right of self-determination and for the security of the Tamil nation, and it is this fundamental right that has been tried and suppressed in such a severe manner. Tissainayagam allegedly confesses that he maintained some dialogue with the LTTE and that he did write and publish the articles for which he was convicted. These articles, as alleged by the state, purportedly had the intention and the effect of fuelling communal violence. In that case, every member of every successive neo-colonial government, including the Opposition,  would…

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We, The Spectator State

A young boy was drowned in broad daylight this week. Though not a single newspaper carried it, I’m told B. Sivakumaran was his name. He was “believed” to be mentally retarded and known for throwing stones at passing vehicles and trains. Approximately 100 people watched him die. One even managed to capture on film the final five minutes of his life. That five minutes of footage could have been of a possible rescue by one of the 100 or so spectators.  Or, that five minutes of footage could have been shot at the same time a call for assistance was made to the nearest Police Station, by someone present in the crowd. This was the heart of Bambalapitiya after all, and Sri Lanka is not short of mobile phones. But instead, the five minutes of footage shows us the gory, pathetic end of a young life, for no apparent reason. The spectators watched on intently. Three to four men surfaced…

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Dayan Jayatilleka on post-war politics and enduring obstacles to peace in Sri Lanka

I spoke with Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka recently on his take on post-war politics, his interpretation of the Southern Provincial Council elections, the issue of war crimes and the extension of GSP+, the challenges of peacebuilding (with peace seen as more than the absence of war) and the purported entry of the former Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka to mainstream party politics.

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The Australian and a sardonic cartoon

Australian

Picture courtesy of The Australian, 29th October 2009 The above picture was published in the satirical Nicholson cartoon gallery which features in The Australian. The issue of refugees has been covered extensively in both local and foreign media. At present, Australia has found it cumbersome in dealing with the increase in refugees that are attempting to seek asylum within the country. Groundviews would like to get the perspectives from its readers on what they gather from the cartoon.

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Sri Lanka: the waning of Liberalism?

It seems to be the case that over the past few years the State and the public have become much less tolerant of liberal values. In 2006, a bill set out a total ban on alcohol and tobacco advertisements in the media or on billboards as well as free distribution of tobacco or alcohol related products by the manufacturer or the distributor as means of promotion. In September this year, a Magistrate ordered the Police Children and Women’s Bureau to publish the photographs of several local porn stars, which appear in pornographic CDs and are presently being circulated in the market, in order to identify them and take further action. Do the above instances not show a lack of respect and intolerance of individuals and the choices they choose to make? Has the ban on advertising reduced tobacco or alcohol consumption? I do not think so. However, advertising companies have lost a part of their revenue. The Magisterial order to…

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An African connection: Kaffir culture in Sri Lanka

Historians say that the Kaffirs of Sri Lanka started arriving from the eastern shores of Africa in the 1500s with the Portuguese, and later in more waves with the different colonizers of Sri Lanka. ‘Kaffir culture’ is a video portrait of one such community of Kaffirs and their struggle to keep their culture alive in the face of falling numbers. Written and produced by Kannan Arunasalam. Music by the Ceylon Kaffirs. Special thanks to Sweta Velpillay, Nethra Samarawickrema, Leah Worthington and Greg Kelly. Click here to watch this movie in stunning widescreen high definition (720p) on our Facebook fan page, where you can also easily share it with others. You can also watch it in high definition on Kannan’s Vimeo page  here.

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  • 22 Oct, 2009
  • 17 Comments
  • Media and Communications

Freedom of Speech, Violent Fascism, Democracy, Nick Griffin and Mahinda Rajapakse

A milestone in British democracy and the right to freedom of speech happens on BBC’s Question Time program tonight. Nick Griffin the head of the BNP (British National Party), which allows only white members, will headline tonight. BBC defends it’s decision on responsibility of due impartiality. The BBC trust says it is a question of editorial judgement whether it is appropriate for the BNP to appear. As a recent Asian migrant to this country I am alarmed. Is violent fascism preached by the BNP now part of the mainstream? Like me, how will the other Asian, African, and West Indian descent citizens of the United Kingdom feel? Or the East Europeans and South Africans?

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Yellow Banana

[Authors note: This was written around 4 weeks ago; the result of 48 hours of shock and anger following an Honest Penman being "put into the 'Pen'". ] “Yellow Banana” (with apologies to the Beatles…) In this island where we’re STILL being torn Lived one man wrote a tale of Truth, you see. But THEY took 20 years of his life In this land of a Banana Republic So they sailed on (the King; & his Princes & sons) (Will they never be downed by the spineless Party of Green?) but those Blues live on, enjoying the people’s waves In their yellow banana …….. We all live in their yellow banana Yellow banana, yellow banana We all live in our yellow banana Yellow banana, yellow banana And THEIR friends are all aboard (Half the island just scared or bored – Many more just lie to the next doors) So please understand, I’m begging, what I say: THEY all thrive in…

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Groundviews now on Yahoo! Meme

Groundviews on Yahoo! Meme

Select Groundviews content is now available through Yahoo’s new micro-blogging platform, Meme. Yahoo! Meme allows for in-line videos, photos and audio as well as more detailed updates per post in comparison to Twitter. Though still in beta, invitations to the platform can be requested by visiting its homepage. Unlike some mainstream media sites in Sri Lanka, Groundviews does not want all its readers to access content through its website. Groundviews already has over 300 followers on Twitter and over 550 fans on Facebook. Since updates on the site are reflected in the Facebook streams of each fan, content on the site reaches over 55,000 potential readers (calculated at the conservative average of 100 friends per fan) on Facebook alone. Our new presence on Yahoo!’s Meme is part of a strategy to broadbase the dissemination of our award winning content using social networks. Join us on Meme – http://meme.yahoo.com/groundviews

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The sentencing J.S Tissainayagam: Not in my name!

I am Sandun Ratnaweera, a 59 year old Sri Lankan Sinhalese from the Galle District. I attended Richmond College, and I have a government job.  Sinhalese is the language that my family speaks at home. Therefore I would consider myself a very common Sinhalese man  – just as regular as most of all other Sinhalese in this island. It is on this basis and identity that I was shocked and appalled at the conviction and the sentencing of J.S Tissainayagam when I first heard it. I was even more appalled when I read more carefully media coverage of his case and sentence. How could anyone come to the conclusion that the common Sinhala man (which I consider myself) could have been incited into violence  – into killing innocent Tamil neighbours  - by two paragraphs? What kind of race do our law-makers think we are – rabble-rousing, irrational, unthinking murderous? Let us look at the evidence  – these obviously “murderous” paragraphs:- In…

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A former Editor and senior journalist on the sentencing of J.S. Tissainayagam

Lakshman Gunasekera is a senior journalist in Sri Lanka and former Editor of the Sunday Observer. Asked about his reaction to the sentencing of fellow journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, he had this to say.

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A travesty of justice: The sentencing of J.S. Tissainayagam

Groundviews first highlighted the case of J.S. Tissainayagam last year, noting that, Salient points of Tissa’s case point to a larger and more chilling deterioration of media freedom in Sri Lanka under the Rajapakse administration. Tissa’s case in particular reveals a particularly twisted logic, and through it, confirms fears that the regime in the South now completely mirrors the intolerance of media freedom and free expression the LTTE is known and reviled for. In May 2009, President Barack Obama referred to Tissa as an emblematic example of the distressing reality of journalist’s jailed for their writing. On 31st August 2009, Tissa was sentenced by the High Court in Colombo to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). As the Times flags, The Sri Lankan Government accused Mr. Tissainayagam of taking money to spread Tiger propaganda in a case that the US Department of State said last year “appeared to be politically motivated”. Mr Tissainayagam had…

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A video of shame and outrage: Responses, positions and clarifications

Video of alleged executions

The video broadcast Channel 4 last week generated a number of responses from the readership of Groundviews. Much has been written about the video, including this well thought out commentary in The Lede, the New York Times news blog. Of the many comments in response to it, this one and the Lede’s response to it stand out: Sinhala-Indian: I think this is Tiger Propaganda. American Should be worring about their own atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan. We don’t really care about Americans anyway. We got our true Indian friends to help us. Indians helped us to defeat the Tiger terrorist and they will help us to defeat this American inspired Tiger Propaganda. LEDE BLOG REPLY: Can you explain how video obtained by a Sri Lankan Sinhalese journalist could possibly be “American-inspired propaganda,” against a military run by an American citizen? If reporting that a video exists and that charges have been made is propaganda, what role do you think journalists…

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Bearing Witness: Submit content on IDPs and Police brutality to win a Flip Ultra video camera

Through Bearing Witness, Groundviews seeks to engender critical citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka. The ground conditions in Menik Farm, worsened by recent flooding, are a non-issue for most mainstream print and broadcast media in Sri Lanka. Yet, as this recent report from the UN’s IRIN news service notes, Close to 300,000 people now languish in 30 government camps in Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna and Trincomalee districts. Many of the camps – which were hastily erected in the final days of the war after thousands fled south from former LTTE-controlled areas – suffer from severe overcrowding. More than three months since the conflict ended, Zone two of Menik Farm continues to hold close to 55,000 – almost double its planned capacity. In fact, in some parts of Menik Farm, a single latrine caters to up to 80 people [Sphere standards call for 20], while some tents designed for five were accommodating up to 14. There are…

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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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