An Eternal Hope, Mandela!
Photo courtesy People usually pay tribute to great individuals, once they are no more. However, I wrote this poem about Nelson Mandela, in order to pay homage to him, while he…
Author: Lionel Bopage
Father Tissa Balsuriya’s struggle for social justice will continue in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy the late Fr. Tissa’s blog We heard the sad news that the internationally acclaimed Sri Lankan catholic priest and theologian Father Tissa Balasuriya (Fr Tissa) has passed away. His exertions on…
The Disappeared in Sri Lanka
Photo from HRW I am honoured to have been asked to speak at this Vigil, to Remember the Disappeared in Sri Lanka on this important occasion, of The International Day of the…
Long Read: Creating Social Reconciliation or Social Implosion?
Photo from The Struggle for Justice blog Introduction Lankan society in its post-1948 history has undergone many violent conflicts in the form of pogroms, insurrections, and a civil war. The latest round…
National Reconciliation, Transitional Justice, Rights and Accountability in Sri Lanka
Good Afternoon; Esteemed and Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen; Dear friends Thank you for inviting me to share with you my thoughts on reconciliation. I will not devote much time here, to…
The Role of Writers and Artists during Turbulent Political Times
I was requested to speak about the important role writers and artists play in the struggle against oppression and in the protection of democratic and human rights of the oppressed. We all…
Peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Is there a way forward?
Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen and dear friends I want to start my talk by bringing to the fore the experiences of another, which was seen as an intractable conflict – the…
Post-War Sri Lanka: Way Forward or More of the Same?
Without peace, there is no development; without development there is no peace, President Rajapaksa has said. Yet, for the overwhelming majority of the population he presides over, life is quite harsh under…
Sri Lanka awaits a change
The present President of Sri Lanka, who consolidated his power after defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militarily, has spurned the pledges of ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ manifesto of the 2005 presidential…
Feature article: The JVP’s campaign among the Tamils, 1977-1982
[Editors note: Lionel Bopage was a former General Secretary of the JVP and was involved with the party since 1968 until his resignation in 1984. For more content with Bopage on ,…
General Sarath Fonseka and politics
Sage words indeed from General Sarath Fonseka. Now that the euphoria of winning the war against the LTTE is over, our minds must turn to the complex issues facing the country, such…
Sinusoidal nature of the JVP Policy on the National Question
The recent interview the JVP leader, comrade Somawansa Amarsinghe, conducted with Sanjana Hattotuwa and published on clearly demonstrates the limitations, fluctuations and the non-cohesive nature of the JVP’s policy position regarding the…
Last comment on Sri Lanka: Is the war really over?
[Editors note: This is Lionel Bopage’s second detailed response to the points brought up in his article The first response and resulting comments can be read here.] I doubt that a solution…
Responses and clarifications on Sri Lanka: Is the war really over?
[Editors note: This is a detailed response to over 30 comments left on and read over 2,500 times to date.] Though several comments made on my article were not directly related to the…
Sri Lanka: Is the war really over?
The end of the conventional war in the north and the east of Sri Lanka witnessed the almost total annihilation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) including its leadership. However,…