Black October: 30 Years Since, Where Are We?
In October 1990, some 75,000 Muslims in the Northern Province (about five percent of the province’s total) were forcibly expelled from their homeland by the LTTE. In some places the rebels gave…
Year: 2020
Correct Messaging is Vital to Fight Covid-19
The sudden rise in the number of cases of Covid-19 has caused serious community concerns. Given the devastation that is being caused by the dangerous pandemic, prevention requires even more than eternal…
The Government’s Hollow Words Fly in the Face of Facts
The government is being criticised by the UN Human Rights Council and foreign governments for a range of human rights violations including increased surveillance and intimidation of those seeking justice for their…
Sandya Eknaligoda’s Journey for Justice
Her husband, who usually comes home after work, did not return. He always informs his wife by telephone if he hasurgent work that would delay him. But no such call came that…
Reform the Proposed 20th Amendment to Strengthen, Not Weaken, Transparency and Public Oversight
Following parliamentary elections, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wasted no time in obtaining cabinet approval and thereafter gazetting the proposed 20th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. Many commentators have noted how…
The 20A: A Very Wrong Approach to Constitution-Making
Photo Courtesy of Midday The proposed 20th Amendment has several major defects. One of its key faults is that its sponsors and framers have chosen a very wrong approach to constitution making….
Sri Lanka and the UN: Retreating from Human Rights and Democracy
Concern is growing, at home and internationally, about increasing unwillingness among leaders – especially the president – to accept checks on the power exercised over the people of Sri Lanka. “I am…
The Fearful President
“If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.” — Ramsay, Articles penned on recently by Jayadeva Uyangoda, Asanga Welikala and Gehan Gunatilleke as well as elsewhere, by…
Fighting the Pillage of Sri Lanka
In a rare victory for Sri Lanka’s environmental defenders, the government has decided to cancel the gazette issuing legal documents to people illegally occupying state lands. A concerted lobbying effort by individuals,…
Fighting the Fires of Climate Change Through Art
Today is the Global Day of Climate Action Themes of sustainability and environmental degradation have pervaded my work since 2004, long before climate change or the extinction rebellion became global political issues….
20A is a Political Blunder
Déjà vu? Once upon a time, a mighty government with a two-thirds majority in parliament engaged in political opportunism, and radically changed the constitution of Sri Lanka. It ignored more than a…
Some Reflections on the Twentieth Amendment Bill
As the Twentieth Amendment Bill is brought before Parliament – and challenged in the Supreme Court – there are two critical sets of questions we need to seriously consider. These are, firstly,…
Judges, Civil Society and Opposition Push Back Against 20th Amendment
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Brief The Rajapakse Administration, by Government gazette, published its proposed 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s Constitution and subsequently the Secretary General of Parliament announced that it would…
And Then They Ruled Happily Ever After?
Photo courtesy of Twitter Think of it as the Rajapaksa fairy tale. Mother Lanka is captured by the messy and wobbly monster called Democracy. The Rajapaksa brothers and sons rescue her by…
End to Sri Lanka’s Democracy: Shouldn’t it be Resisted?
The debate on the proposed 20th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s 1978 Constitution is gathering momentum. The proposal which has been published in the Government Gazette is indeed a constitutional bombshell, literally. Its…