• 19 Mar, 2007
  • 2 Comments
  • Peace and Conflict

On Democratic Innings

According to a front page article in the Daily Mirror on the 19 March 2007, titled “Mangala calls on democratic forces to rise against ‘emerging tyranny’” ex- Minister Mangala Samaraweera is calling on all political and civil organizations to rally behind him to come forward against the undemocratic triumvirate; Mr. Samaraweera told the Daily Mirror yesterday that even the UNP and the SLFP as democratic political parties could be a part of that exercise. … “Not only political parties but also civil society organizations and other individuals can come forward against this dictatorship,” he said. The ousting of the three ministers and the flurry of activities thereof has been fascinating. Anura Bandaranaike managed to work himself into the fold but the other two have not. The question is why not? Were they asking too much? Or were their capabilities as irritant ex-ministers undermined? If the ruling powers knew that the duo would walk out with so much knowledge about the…

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Asylum Seeking Downunder…

The 82 Sri Lankan asylum seekers are making news in Australia. They haven’t been sent to Indonesia to be ‘processed’ and it’s unlikely they’ll be handed back to the Sri Lankan Government. But they have been moved to Nauru for processing. In the past, Nauru has been used to process other asylum seekers who have attempted to arrive in Australia through unofficial channels. The tactic, known as the Pacific Solution, aims at keeping asylum seekers to Australia offshore, in a isolated island that’s difficult for refugee advocates to access, and out of sight from the media spotlight. The detention centre in Nauru is funded by Australia, costing taxpayers millions of dollars per year. BUT that’s a whole other issue. Though one may be able to argue whether they left Sri Lanka because their lives were in danger – I think there’s little doubt that if you are young, and of Tamil origin, and living in the North or East, then…

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Federalism: Some debates never die

Today, in the wake of recent crossovers by the UNP reformists and the presentation of reports from APRC process, the federal debate has once again taken centre. For many years Federalism has been looked at with so much of disgrace by mainly Sinhalese, particularly to those who are against any sort of devolution of powers to other ethnic communities. However, given the prominence of the federal debate, during the last 80 years exemplifies the importance and dire need of a power sharing arrangement. In the 1930s it was the Kandyan Sinhalese who put the federal demand forward for the first time in Sri Lankan political history. Later, Tamil political parties championed by the late Mr. Chelvanayagam, initiated a long political battle for a federal constitution in order to meet the aspirations of the Tamil community. However, federalism or not, constitutional issues are intrinsically confined to a group of political elites who are usually removed from the citizen ‘Appuhãmys’. Therefore, years…

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When Buddha met the Demons of Lanka

This time around, I examine the manner in which Buddha first came to Sri Lanka and encountered the non-Aryan Tamilian inhabitants. Called demons in Dharmapala‘s description of them in 1908, they were according to the Dipavamsa, Lanka’s first inhabitants. My article explores, according to the ancient texts, how the Buddha overcame the Demons. The manner in which he did so, that I explore in my article, is justified in the ancient texts by the fact that the Demons were impervious to the Truth and the Dhamma, and that accordingly, they posed a threat to the Buddha Sasana. My article was written after listening to the President’s comments on television recently, that Sri Lanka was a country that had witnessed the visitation of the Buddha. Through my article, I explore the possible reasons as to why he said this, and why now. My reasoning leads me to the conclusion that the historical anchors of the President’s Chintanaya, as brought out by…

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Theeban’s murder: An epitaph in Sinhala

In my recent contribution in Sinhala to Mawbima, I explore the murder of Thillainayagam Theeban as first reported by Nalaka Gunawardene in this forum. An interesting footnote is that not a single one of the 3 Police Stations or 7 Policemen I spoke to in order to find out more information about Theeban was aware of any developments in the hunt for his killers. Sadly, he is just another number for them – and the numbers just keep piling up in Sri Lanka. I also translate into Sinhala a particularly important excerpt from the recent UTHR(J) Information Bulletin No. 44, “The Race for Infamy in Sri Lanka’s North-East“. Read the full article here.

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  • 15 Mar, 2007
  • 4 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

The Rise of “Peace” Professionals in Sri Lanka: Rent-Seeking in the Peace Sector

Writing on the political economy of war, David Keen has written the following words: “[T]he study of war has been characterized by a kind of mental block.  Sometimes war appears as a kind of ‘black box’, an important phenomenon which we somehow think that we understand but avoid analyzing in any detail.”  I think this is also true of the political economy of peace.  The failure of peace attempts is commonly attributed to lack of capacity, volition and mutual trust of the main protagonists of the conflict.  Of course, those factors are crucial for the success of the peace process.  However, a little attention has been paid to an issue that is of great importence in making peace effort difficult in achieving anticipated goals.  When peace effort has become a rent-seeking operation of multiple parties involved in the process, peace efforts may be not only ineffective, but also counter-productive.  Rent seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value from others…

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  • 14 Mar, 2007
  • 17 Comments
  • Peace and Conflict

Multiculturalism? Hmm . . .

The JVP and the UNP are making angry rumblings and, accusations of LTTE-Mahinda pacts and US-Gotabaya Pacts are doing the rounds. Amidst the turmoil the APRC is making feeble attempts to ‘put out something’ by the 15th of March. Most observers of the process are cynical; the APRC is seen as an eye-wash with no real participation by the political parties and no real ability to produce even ‘some good ideas’ for a political solution. One wonders if there is any discussion about what these ‘political solutions’ mean and how they are going to be translated into do-able practical components by the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims with ethnicity deeply etched into their minds. At a time when pluralism and multiculturalism seem to be bandied around it’s a good idea to delve deeper into these words and uncover the many layers. So what is multiculturalism? What does it mean for a person living in Sri Lanka? In an article titled “The…

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Significant Other

I read the Daily News cause it’s in the office in the morning. The headline is generally ‘EVERYTHING IS FINE’, but there are some new additions. Lately the paper and Mahinda have been going on and on about a ‘plot to discredit the government’ and a media ‘conspiracy’ to demoralize the armed forces. On the front page of yesterdays paper there’s a hysterical Bandula Jayasekera piece called ‘Go tell it to the LTTE’ accusing everyone who speaks up about human rights and disappearances of supporting the LTTE for money. How one gets paid for this I don’t know, but war hysteria is leading to a short-sighted ‘with us or against us’ mentality that slanders many moderate citizens and the stated positions of GoSL to boot. It is actually possible to report and speak out about disappearances, abductions and human rights abuses without supporting the LTTE. Crazy, I know. It’s what Mahinda did during the Premadasa years, to similar abuse. When…

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Whiter justice? – The killing of Thillainayagam Theeban

Photo credit: Video Image, Sri Lanka Media Helping Media features a poignant submission by Nalaka Gunawardene on the murder of Thillainayagam Theeban. As noted in the article: Theeban, 16 at the time of his death, was one of eight survivor children in four Asian countries that TVE Asia Pacific tracked for one year under the Children of Tsunami regional media project. Theeban’s life story, as framed by Nalaka is deeply moving and bespeaks of the plight of many other children in the North and East after the tsunami, and caught up in violent conflict. It also calls to question the effectiveness of aid to the tsunami affected communities (read the Lessons We Never Learn, written for the 2nd commemoration of the tsunami, that asks some searing questions on similar lines). Nalaka’s article is important for another reason. Questioning the oft stated goal of journalism – to be “objective”, Nalaka avers that: Journalism with empathy was far preferable to the cold…

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Security Forces North & East Operations

Civilians are returning to government-controlled areas on a mass scale and are fleeing LTTE territory, while the main goal of the government is to wipe out LTTE from the eastern area. This is because the east was a stronghold of the LTTE and V. Prabhakaran’s dream was to make Trincomalee the capital of Eelam. Artillery fire power has now been divided into three sectors to target the LTTE in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. Artillery fire is being accurately positioned using mathematical systems to target LTTE camps. This is being done by commandoes and special forces who have infiltrated LTTE areas and are communicating with gunnery points to give accurate targets of LTTE camp locations. Despite LTTE artillery retaliation, LTTE cadres are fleeing camps and going further interior into the jungle. Specialized jungle warfare special commandoes and infantry troops are hunting them down one by one. Tigers fled the Trinco Peraru Camps and LTTE cadres are fleeing to the Welioya region….

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Like Slaves In Jaffna

I feel like security forces treat us like slaves, one Jaffna journalist said. Some roads are banned in Jaffna for public transport, only people living in that area can use that road. Last week a journalist went through one of the roads which is banned for public usage. The troops said you can’t go this way. The journalist replied that he wanted to go to that garage and pointed to a garage 50 meters away from the junction. “Mr, who are the rulers are we or you,” the soldiers replied angrily. The Journalist went back home. Next day the same journalist was on temple road and met his friend who is attached to the UN. The friend stopped his vehicle, while the journalist also parked his bike and started chatting with his friend. An Army man came and asked who’s bike is this. The journalist replied that it was his. The soldier told the journalist to take the bike. The…

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Ravaya, the LTTE and the Keheliya Chintanaya

Amidst shackles – Notes of a citizen journalist My article, in Sinhala, explores the allegations made against Ravaya, The Nation and the Mawbima newspapers recently that they were supporting the LTTE. I consider this a serious and dangerous allegation, and my article explores the fallout for journalists as a result. I go on to explore the new Rambukwella Chintanaya. As noted in a recent Free Media Movement Press Release (The Freedom of the Wild Ass vs. Media Freedom in Sri Lanka) Keheliya Rambukwella in a recent television interview brought up the example of Israel as a paragon of media freedom and a state in which the media was fully supportive of all its military offensives. I explore this dramatic new chintanaya in a critical light. The full article available here.

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A Royal – Thomian Family

“A cricketing fiesta such as this is my idea of nirvana” Into the passionate Soul of sub-continental cricket, Emma Levine The setting: Big matches are as unique as they are similar. There is cricket of course, but no a big match is defined by the game itself. It is a far larger spectacle, a seething mass of humanity bursting with life threatening with every delivery to spill over the edges of the stadium, a heady, adrenalin driven and testosterone filled carnevale. But I digress. I’m not writing about any big-match, but the veritable The Royal – Thomian, which at over 126 years old is a manic festival of cricket that is the second oldest uninterrupted test encounter in the world. Imagine the heady intoxication of music, alcohol and greasy Chinese rolls. Imagine the coveted chilled beer, making its way from mouth to mouth, a sip of nectar. At first anyway – those at the end of the food chain got…

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  • 9 Mar, 2007
  • 2 Comments
  • Colombo,
    Peace and Conflict

The world in your Inbox – The Groundviews e-newspaper

The improved Groundviews e-newspaper now features: Top stories from Christian Science Monitor Top stories from New York Times International Edition Daily Dilbert Comic This Day in History in addition to top stories from this website, the BBC and the Economist. Delivered straight into your email Inbox daily, and supporting all Windows, Mac, Linux and web based email programmes and services, the Groundviews e-newspaper is your gateway to breaking news, analysis and information. Click here for a preview. Subscribers can even customise their Groundviews updates to include other news and information sources once signed up. All free of charge of course! Sign up today!

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Crossover and Mixed Public Reaction

The latest survey conducted by the Social Indicator, the survey research unit of the Centre for Policy Alternatives reveals that Sri Lankans express mixed opinion on the recent crossover by the 18 UNP parliamentarians along with 6 Muslim Congress MPs. 37% of people approve of this move while the same percentage disapproves. Interestingly, a quarter of Sri Lankans are either unaware of the crossover or do not have an opinion on whether to approve or disapprove of it; despite the chaos it has triggered in many corners that is yet to be settled. In the wake of numerous interpretations and reinterpretation of the present political situation as a result of the recent crossover by the political elites, the authors of this article attempt to discuss how citizens perceive the crossover. The results of the latest poll, that was conducted by Social Indicator – Centre for Policy Alternatives are used to discuss the public views in this article. This survey was…

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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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