Disinformation in Sri Lanka: An overview
Fake news became a buzzword around the 2016 US Presidential election campaign. However, it’s something we have been grappling with in Sri Lanka for years. Fake news, is news created with the…
Author: Groundviews
Champika, Rathana Thera, Gnanasara Thera and the Streisand effect
Discovered through a tweet this morning that the article ‘Champika, Rathana Thera responsible for Gnanasara Thera’s actions’, published in print and on the website on 16th June 2017, has been deleted. No…
#FloodSL: Key Accounts to Follow
Sri Lanka is experiencing flooding after what is said to be the most torrential rains since 2003. Despite being beset with heavy flooding in 2016 as well, the country was still unprepared for this…
Stemming the Tide
Iqram Siyadhu works at a store selling rexine carpeting in Wijerama. A fire broke out on May 22 under suspicious circumstances. “The police came and made an entry about the incident,” Iqram said….
By the Votive Candle
Machan, I wish I could give you another poem but even poetry does not console enough before the loss of a dream. You were just in Sri Lanka and visited the North….
Victory over Remembrance: A day of division
On May 18, 2009, Sri Lanka ended a decade long civil war. The day after, May 19, has traditionally been celebrated as “Victory Day” and marked with military parades. That is, until…
The Price Of Ideas: Father of “Disobedient Writer” Yameen Rasheed Calls For Justice
Even as a child, Yameen Rasheed was an avid reader who had his own opinions, his father Hussain says. A self-described “disobedient writer” Yameen was writing by the time he was in…
Avoiding complacency on GSP Plus: The importance of long term economic reform
The recent announcement that Sri Lanka had successfully defeated a motion to deny the GSP Plus trade concession would boost the country’s export sector, which had been flagging over the last 18 months,…
Voices from Musali: The real story behind the ‘Save Wilpattu’ Campaign
The adhan call resonates. The residents of Marichchukkaddi in Musali stop speaking and bow their heads in prayer. For five minutes, peace prevails. The only sound is that from the green banners…
Leaked version: Amendment to code of criminal procedure
was sent a leaked copy of what we were told, and to the extent we could verify, is a copy of the proposed amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure (Special Provisions)…
A Question of Political Will: Unpacking de Silva’s Comments on Foreign Judges
Recently, compiled a timeline of all the statements made by the Government in terms of the participation of foreign judges in a judicial mechanism. The timeline shows that over the past two…
The Evolution of Sri Lanka’s #Instameet
On March 26, a group of 13 or so created some confusion among the vendors at the old market on Sea Street in Negombo. “Where are you from?” was an often-repeated question….
Disconnected: Juxtaposing the UNHRC sessions with protests in the North
At 7:30 am in Mullikulam on March 23, a group of villagers decided to begin a protest, demanding for the return of their land. The residents of Mullikulam have been living ‘as…
The Art of Connection: Two organisations take on reconciliation
As a 16 year old, Nushelle de Silva was entirely unprepared for the experience of seeing Jaffna in its ‘raw state’ during the ceasefire in 2004. Traveling there on a field trip with…
Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017: Finalist
is pleased to announce the ‘Corridors of Power’, a path-breaking project marrying constitutional reform and theory with architecture, is a finalist in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas 2017 awards, under the Urban…