Nationalism, Ethnicity and Conflict
Photo via Sri Lanka Guardian I read with appreciation, the contents of the article of DBS Jeyaraj under the title “Imperative need to support Tamil Moderates in the struggle against Extremists” (…
Author: Devanesan Nesiah
Do we enjoy universal adult Franchise?
Image courtesy SBS We did enjoy full adult voting rights in our island for 18 years after the far reaching Donoughmore reforms of 1931 (reaching further than many of our leaders, Sinhalese…
Lessons from Scotland
Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images, via Al Jazeera Scotland has much to teach us. The democratic decision of the UK government to hold a Referendum in Scotland in response to persistent…
Dr. Rajani Thiranagama Commemoration on 20th and 21st September 2014
I was a public servant when Rajani was assassinated by an LTTE agent 25 years ago. I took private leave, travelled to Jaffna at my own expense and participated in the 31st…
Review of Neville Jayaweera’s Jaffna: Exorcising the Past and Holding the Vision
Photo courtesy Thomas Berg Part I When I was asked by Marshell Fernando whether I would review the above, I readily agreed. Neville was several years senior to me in the Ceylon…
The Riots of June 2014 and Pogrom of July 1983
Photo by Thyagi Ruwanpathirana It is unlikely that there is anyone living who remembers the anti -Muslim riots of 1915. In any case, apart from the fact that most of the victims…
Engaging issues of caste – the forbidden subject
Image courtesy Wikipedia Caste is observed by the overwhelming majority of Sinhalese and Tamils but the subject remains virtually taboo in public discussions. If it is mentioned in public, it is often…
The National and International Significance of the 13th Amendment
Image courtesy DBS Jeyaraj It appears to be widely believed in our country that Indian foreign policy, particularly in relation to Sri Lanka, is shaped by the ethnic politics of Sri Lanka.…
On forgiving and forgetting
Pre-Independence, our island was among most peaceful lands in Asia. For some centuries there had been no large scale ethnic riots in our Island apart from the anti-Muslim riots of 1915. Even…
Nelson Mandela: Terrorist turned Santa Claus or Liberator of the Oppressed?
Photo by Adrian Steirn/Nelson Mandela Foundation/Getty Images via Despite his lifelong commitment to Non-Violence (except briefly against unmanned institutions such as power stations) Mandela was proclaimed a Terrorist by President Reagan, and…
Conflict, Strategy and Game Theory
Image courtesy Wallaad The most exiting academic course I have ever taken was “Conflict and Strategy” taught at Harvard University by Nobel Laureate Thomas Schelling, one of the most brilliant persons I…
July 1983, State Racism and Truth Commissions
Image courtesy Sangam To everyone who has not read them I recommend reading Izeth Hussain’s, articles of 31 August and 7 September in The Island, and my article in groundviews and in…
On the 30th Anniversary of the Pogrom of July 1983
Photo courtesy Ilankai Tamil Sangam I was GA and District Secretary Jaffna at that time, and was not directly a victim of the pogrom, but was very much involved with the care…
Illicit Emigrants: Criminals or Victims?
Image courtesy This year’s Bishop Cyril Abeynaike Memorial Oration was a fascinating talk on some aspects of globalization by Dr. Harsha Athurupane. He spoke mostly of the benefits of globalization but also…
The consequences of political representation or the lack of it
Image from AsiaNews.it The focus of my article in the of 5 May was on the need for Northern Provincial representation. It now looks as if those elections may be held in…