Archive for the ‘Peace and Conflict’

The Weligama Declaration

Sri Lanka’s current ‘no war no peace’ situation means that it is a country constantly teetering on the edge of a full scale war. As a result, tension is always high amongst the different communities that make up this diverse nation, and even the slightest provocations can cause violence to escalate at an alarming rate. In September 2006, several journalists and media practitioners began a process of reflection and discussion on their role in easing this tension and building lasting peace on the island. Collectively, they felt that they had a duty to contribute positively towards building national unity in Sri Lanka and subsequently devised the Weligama Declaration. It was accepted and signed in the Southern town of Weligama by ten professional media organizations including the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka, the Free Media Movement, The Muslim Media Forum, The Tamil Media Forum and the South Asian Free Media Association. The Weligama Declaration highlights…

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  • 13 Feb, 2007
  • 5 Comments
  • Peace and Conflict

யார் தான் நல்லவர்கள்?

-நாரதர்- இலங்கையைப் பொறுத்தவரையில் இன்று சமாதானத்திற்கு ஆதரவாக செயற்படுபவர்கள் அனைவரும் புலிகள் , தேசத்துரோகிகள் என்ற நிலைக்கு தள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.இத்தரக்குறைவான சிந்தனைக்கும் பேரினவாதிகளின் போக்கிற்கும் நாட்டின் அனைத்து சக்திகளும் அணிதிரண்டு ஆதரவாக செயற்படுகின்றன. இவற்றின் வெளிப்பாடகவே இன்று கொழும்பில் பெரும்பாலான பிரதேசங்களில் ஒட்டப்பட்டுள்ள பதாதைகளில் காணக்கூடியதாயுள்ளது. அது, சமாதான புலிகள் ஊடக புலிகள் இடதுசாரி புலிகள் இணங்கண்டு கொள்வோம் அழிப்போம் நாட்டைக் காப்பாற்றிக் கொள்வோம் பயங்கரவாதத்திற்கு எதிரான இயக்கம் என்பதாகும். பயங்கரவாதத்திற்கு எதிரான இயக்கம் எனக் கூறிக்கொள்ளும் இவ்வியக்கம் , அவ்வாறாயின் சமாதானத்திற்கான வழி இது தான் என பதாதை ஒட்டவதில்லையே.பயங்கரவாதத்தின் எதிராளிகள் என தெரிவிக்கும் இவர்களே இனவாதிகளின் பெற்றோர்களும் ஆவார்கள். நாட்டில் இனப்பிரச்சினை தொடர்ந்து உக்கிரமடைந்து செல்லும் நிலையில் சமாதான பேச்சுவார்த்தைக்கே இடமில்லையென்ற வகையில் அதற்கு எதிரான செயற்பாடுகள் தொடர்ச்சியாக அதிகரித்துச் செல்கின்றமை மிகவும் வேதனையைத் தருகிறது. (நிலைமை இவ்வாறு தொடர்ந்தால் இலங்கையிலும் ‘பொடா” சட்டத்தை உருவாக்கி விடுவார்களோவென எண்ணத்தோன்றுகிறது)

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Colombo: Under Siege?

Colombo has gradually degenerated into a sinister looking, ‘frightened city’. During the past few months roads have been blocked, speeding convoys disrupt normal traffic, traffic is directed one way, (which is still rather disorienting) and men in khaki walk around carrying T56s watching, wary. The stalling of the peace process and the military offensives have had their toll on Colombo. It seems as if the normal civilian life has been changed, Sri Lankans seem to be under siege and there are hardly any questions about how one deals with it and its overall impact on civilian life. This short writing is not a judgment on whether Colombo should be under siege or not but rather to illuminate the situation and what can be done within the framework. The high security areas in Colombo are fear instilling. For example going past the President’s office is a bit of a heckler all on its own, one has to cross the road to…

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  • 12 Feb, 2007
  • 0 Comment
  • Peace and Conflict

“மஹிந்தவும் தமிழர்களும்”

நாரதர் ‘எல்.ரீ.ரீ.ஈ இயக்கத்தின் இரத்த வெறி பிடித்த கோரிக்கைகளை வழங்க நாம் தயாராக இல்லை.ஆனாலும் ஆகக் குறைந்தது ஆனந்த சங்கரி அல்லது டக்ளஸ் தேவானந்தா அவர்கள் ஒத்துழைக்கக் கூடிய வகையில்,நாம் இருக்க வேண்டும்.நியாயமாக வேண்டும்.”என ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்~ இவ்வருடத்திற்கான சுதந்திர தின உரையில் தெரிவித்திருந்ததனை அனைவரும் அறிவர். ஜனாதிபதி அக்கூற்றை தெரிவிக்கும் பொழுது மிகவும் கம்பீரத் தோற்றத்தில் அமர்ந்திருந்த சமூக சேவைகள் அமைச்சர் டக்ளஸ் தேவானந்தா கூட வடக்கு கிழக்கு பிரிப்பை எதிர்த்தவராவார்.ஆனால் மஹிந்தர் அதனை வகுத்தார்.அதன் மூலம் பேரினவாதிகள் பேரின்பம் அடைந்தனர்.இதுவா மஹிந்த ராஜபக்~ அராசங்கத்தின் நியாயம்? (சரியான அரசியல் பேச்சு………………….) தற்பொழுது இலங்கையில் இடம்பெற்றுக் கொண்டிருக்கும் யுத்தத்தில் பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான தமிழ் மக்கள் சொல்லொன்னாத் துன்பங்களை அனுபவித்து வருகின்றனர் என்பது உலகறிந்த உண்மை.ஆனால் மஹிந்த சிந்தனை அரசு தமிழ் மக்களுக்கு வழங்கப்படும் நீதியே பயங்கரவாதத்திற்கு வழங்கப்படும் சிறந்த முடிவு என தெரிவிக்கின்றது. ஆனால் யுத்தத்தில் பாதிப்படைந்த மக்களுக்கு தற்பொழுது வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ள நீதியானது தொற்று நோய்களும்,n~ல் தாக்குதல்களும்,குண்டுமாறிகளுமாகும்.ஆனால் தமிழருக்கு நீதி வழங்குவதாக இப்பொழுதும் அரசு தெரிவிக்கின்றது. அரசாங்கம் கைப்பற்றிய சம்பூரில் அனல் மின் நிலையம் அமைப்பதற்கு எடுக்கும் முயற்சியின் அளவாவது அங்கு வாழும் தமிழர்களின் புனர்வாழ்வில் அக்கறை செலுத்துவதில்லையே. இதுவா மஹிந்த சிந்தனை அரசினால் தமிழர்களுக்கு வழங்கப்படும் நீதி?…….

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THE CHALLENGE BEFORE THE UNP

Ranil Wickremasinghe made, I think, what he thinks is a speech of statesman-like prophesy, not to mention dignified grace in the face of political cuckoldry, when Parliament reconvened this week following the reshuffle farce. In this he warned of dark times ahead, where “We will witness in the coming weeks an increase in the violation of human rights, deterioration of good governance, spread of corruption, undermining of democracy, and the rising cost of living.” For all our sakes, and for the sake of democracy in Sri Lanka, we hope that Mr. Wickremasinghe sees his role as more than a mere Cassandra – with the Apollonian gift of prophesy but without the power to persuade – in the face of the insufferably Agamemnon-like hubris that increasingly characterises the Rajapakse presidency. A perversity of Sri Lankan electoral politics has cast Mr Wickremasinghe and President Rajapakse in paradoxical roles. Mr. Wickremasinghe, as his record shows, is keen on government by technocratic elitism and…

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Media and Violence

Editors note: A Sinhala version of this article, in the form of a PDF, can be found here. Armed struggle and media freedom Night of fifth of this month, was a sleepless night for us. Reason being that former journalist Lalith Seneviratne was abducted from his residence. That night, all of us tried our best in every possible manner to save his life. The next night, the sixth, was once again a sleepless night. This time it was due to the news that said the “Akuna” media staff including Lalith Seneviratne had accepted they have in collaboration with the LTTE, resorted to violent acts in the ‘South’. This created a serious confusion that night, as to what stand we could now take on this matter. Lalith Seneviratne, Sisira Priyankara and Nihal Serasinghe, all activists of the Railway Union Federation’s bi-monthly publication “Akuna”, were abducted on the night of 05th February. Abductions are plainly a violation of the law, in a…

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  • 9 Feb, 2007
  • 5 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

Poll: Prospects for Peace in Sri Lanka in 2007

The deterioration in the security situation can be attributed to the political interests of the two main protagonists – the GOSL and the LTTE. Neither side was interested in a regeneration of the peace process and talks within the framework of the 2002 CFA – their overarching interests lay in political consolidation, on the part of the Mahinda Rajapaksa presidency, and on the part of the LTTE, the creation of a ground situation that would strengthen the argument that no political settlement was possible with the Sri Lankan state since it was even more unwilling and unable under the stewardship of the Rajapaksa presidency to understand, appreciate and accommodate Tamil grievances and aspirations. Consequently, though the two parties went through the motions of peace talks for the benefit of the international community and to score political points against each other, their principal objective lay in effecting a new balance of power on the ground in all it dimensions, as the…

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  • 8 Feb, 2007
  • 22 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

“Hey Groundviews, keep that censorship button on mate”

So came the earnest appeal by “Ryan”: Author : Ryan (IP: 60.231.53.136 , CPE-60-231-53-136.qld.bigpond.net.au) E-mail : ryan@ryan.com URI : Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=60.231.53.136 Hailing from Queensland, Australia, Groundviews received over 30 caustic submissions from “Ryan” today, some of which went as follows: Sanjana… time for you to suck dick again. CPA should be hung, drawn and quarted like the turds they are. Sanjana, you’re a fucking moron mate. CPA must be flushed down the toilet like the vermins they are. CPA sucks, Sanjana Hatotuwa sucks dick Clearly, though “Ryan’s” use of stock phrases, a demonstrably limited imagination and a grossly truncated vocabulary vitiates his / her ability to really insult, it is symptomatic of a larger & growing malaise of online communication, especially on blogs. As David Pogue, the New York Times’ Tech Columnist avers: The real shame, though, is that the kneejerk “everyone else is an idiot” tenor is poisoning the potential the Internet once had. People used to dream…

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Notes of a Citizen Journalist

Personal vignettes, in Sinhala, aimed at stimulating our thinking on social justice, peace, political and economic issues. In this issue, I talk about the many sleepless nights as a media activist in a violent country and some observations on media freedom and the growing culture of abductions under the present regime. Download my full article as a Sinhala PDF here.

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Minister of Incestment Promotion?!

Passed on to me by a friend: Note the spelling of Naveen’s portfolio in the caption to this photograph from the presidential website. Surely the Freudian slip of an administration that is carrying “nepotism” to new heights? The original webpage is, at the time of writing, available here.

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The Sham of Independence Without Human Rights Protection

Two days before our independence tamasha, an event with deep significance and bearing for the independence, integrity and unity of this country took place.  It is unfortunately a part of a series of connected incidents. On Friday 2 February, Mudiyapu Remedias, Attorney at Law and Legal Advisor to the National Human Rights Commission, (HRC) Jaffna office, lodged a complaint with the Commanding Officer, Jaffna that he was badly assaulted by a group of Sri Lankan army soldiers that morning .   Mr Surenthirajah, the Coordinating Officer of the National Human Rights Commission, Jaffna office has already complained to the Jaffna Police of death threats.  In the Remedias case, the assault took place after Mr Remedias presented his HRC credentials to the soldiers and in the Surenthirajah case, Mr Surenthirajah states in his complaint that a member of a “political party” made armed threats against him.  Two other Coordinating Officers of the Jaffna HRC office have sought asylum in Canada on account…

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After Today’s BMICH Explosion

I was with some Tamil students, as a training course was winding down for the day, when news of the explosion at the BMICH reached us. The details of the incident were sketchy at first. Being Muslim, while I felt worried when I heard the news, and the BMICH being close to where we were, I didn’t panic. But I noticed a marked difference in the reaction of the Tamil students. “Oh god what happened,” one of the male students wailed. “We have to go home quickly,” another said. “What will happen to me on the way back home,” another student said with deep worry. They started calling their homes. They even left without telling me. What I could see was that they felt deeply afraid after such incidents. They were not afraid of the average person on the street. They were afraid of security forces and what they might do to them. When I see this kind of thing…

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Popular Activist in Oddamavadi Targeted

A family man, and popular activist in Oddamavadi Aboobacker Ilyas (25) was targeted and fired upon by an unidentified gunman on Boundry Road, Oddamavadi. This incident happened around 5.15 am on 4th February. The gunmen used T56 weapon; 5 rounds were fired, and luckily A.B. Ilyas escaped from this attack. This is not the first time he has been targeted and this is causing a lot of tension in Oddamavadi at the moment. People in the area suspect that the LTTE is behind this because Ilyas is involved in media and may have been seen as a threat to the LTTE.

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Liberation and Relief

I haven’t heard Crowded House play on the radio here before, but the other day, while driving, the sounds and words of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” filled my car. It’s one of those songs that always takes me in to another headspace – to where you get lost in your own thoughts – imagining, searching. There is freedom within, there is freedom without Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup The song made me think about Sri Lanka and its never-ending story of violence. I had been on trip with some friends, and had just returned from the East, where the security forces had ‘liberated’ Vaharai (or Vakarai), a town that used to be inside the territory controlled by the Tamil Tigers. Now, the Government, or the Military, claimed the people have been freed from the clutches of the Tamil Tigers. There’s a battle ahead, many battles are lost The so-called liberated people end up in IDP camps…

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  • 2 Feb, 2007
  • 4 Comments
  • Jaffna,
    Peace and Conflict

People Reading Newspaper At Shop In Jaffna

A person reading Uthayan newspaper publishing in Jaffna at a newspaper agent shop entrance. Newspaper printing has dropped due to publishers not having permission to send more news print paper from Colombo. One agent pasted the newspaper in his shop entrance the customers come and read the newspaper in the early morning. He said he sold 450 copies earlier now the Uthayan company send only 60 copies.” I want to satisfy my customers so that I pasted the newspaper in my shop entrance,” he said.

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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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