The MPs Pay Hike Case – An Opinion from Australia
This article is based on the recent case on the Pay Hike for MPs. The Supreme Court was divided in rejecting the application made by Weliamuna. The S.C did not give reasons…
Year: 2007
Promoting A Conscience For Peace And Reconciliation
Taken from the Editorial in the Catholic Messenger of the 29th April 2007 The Indian newspaper Hindustan Times commenting on the statement issued by the Vatican quoted thus: “According to the Vatican…
Darfur vs. Sri Lanka
Click here for a larger version. Graphed from data on Reuters Alertnet, the chart above covers the period from 21.9.2006 to 10.5.2007. It’s an wretched contest to be in, but over the…
Getting rid of the LTTE: A few questions
The photo above was taken at a busy intersection in Colombo. How much are we willing to sacrifice to root out the LTTE? Are they the only terrorists in Sri Lanka? What…
Mobile Phones Connections Cut In Jaffna
Mobile phones are of no use now in Jaffna. The purpose of using mobile phones is to pass on any urgent message, but mobile phone connections are being cut often in Jaffna….
An infamous proposal
The proposals released by the SLFP on the 1st of May deserve mention only because they epitomise how NOT to foment a process of conflict transformation to address Sri Lanka’s violence. Rohan…
The SLFP Proposals: The Slap in the Face and the Shot in the Arm
The international spotlight is upon us yet again and this time against the backdrop of the third successful outing of the LTTE air force, the “mountain moved and produced a mouse†SLFP…
Right to Information and Good Governance: Linkages and Challenges
“Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and … the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated.†– UN General Assembly Resolution 59(I), 1946 – In…
THE SRI LANKA FREEDOM PARTY’S BREATHTAKING PROPOSALS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
Rohan Edrisinha Faculty of Law, University of Colombo and Centre for Policy Alternatives The Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a new approach to negotiated settlement. It goes like this in a hypothetical…
THE MAY DAY TRAGI-COMEDY
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.†– George Orwell As an example of monumental irrelevance for the cause…
From a Tragedy to a Farce: Comments on the SLFP Proposals
Professor Wiswa Warnapala, the Minister of Higher Education, is one of the leading political scientists in Sri Lanka. He has produced, even after entering the busy life of politics, many books in…
Protecting the spectrum for media freedom
Nalaka Gunawardene is a science writer and media watcher. He writes a blog on media and society. This article is adapted and expanded from the author’s panel remarks made during the OUR…
On the Air to Tamil Eelam?
A.Vaitheeswaran In 1984 (remember George Orwell’s Animal Farm?), in an interview given to Anita Pratap of India Today (popular monthly news magazine published in New Delhi), Veluppillai Pirapakaran admitted that he was…
Causing a storm in a tea plantation
The plight of the Sri Lankan tea plantation worker is a well known issue in the country, and even though the law now grants them with full citizenship rights, the real story…
Amidst shackles – Notes of a citizen journalist
In this article I explore two issues. One, the murder of Don Bolles in America and the other, the recent virulent verbal attack by the Defense Secretary against Champika Liyanaarachchi, Editor of…
