Looking East
Batticaloa and Kattankudy are 318 and 317 kilometers away from Colombo, respectively. They are, however, just under 10 kilometers away from each other. The relationships and experience, that have been shaped by…
Batticaloa
Massacre of the Innocents: Whereto from here
Photo by JEWEL SAMAD / AFP/GETTY IMAGES via KCUR. “Unmindful are the walking dead The known way is an impasse.” Heraclitus (The Fragments) We have been here before. This blooded precipice is…
Making Ripples in Public Political Space: The Entry of Women into Local Government in Post War Batticaloa
Yesterday, the day before one of the most historic elections of post-independence Sri Lanka, I sat with a friend who is standing for local government elections for the first time. She is…
The Waiting Earth: Communities and cultivators affected by Sri Lanka’s drought
At the time of writing, 488,277 families and 1,665,961 individuals are affected by the on-going drought in Sri Lanka. The country’s rice harvest has been halved, the worst on record in 40…
Tourism Overlooks Livelihood Recovery in Post-War Sri Lanka
Introduction In July 2016, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), organized a four-day international conference in Passikudah, Batticaloa district. Its theme was:…
Wijedasa Rajapaksa: Unfit for the job of Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister
Justice and Buddha Sasana Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa is seen as a blatant liar by the Muslim community. He has become Yahapalanaya’s unofficial patron of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and its controversial leader…
The Story of One: On some lives erased and others that give hope
I first met Father Harry Miller in 2013. We sat and talked in his office on the top floor of St. Michael’s College, Batticaloa. Noisy crows had gathered outside his window, threatening…
The Ampitiye Sumana Saga and the Political Economy of Temples
Among the Buddhist monks to rise to fame (or infamy) in Sri Lanka in recent times, the 47-year-old Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero from the Batticaloa District is surely the star of the…
Paradise Lost: The hidden costs of tourism development in Sri Lanka
August 27 is World Tourism Day. This year, the theme is “promoting universal accessibility.” decided to focus on sustainable tourism – and specifically, on how tourism development has impacted local communities. Tourism is…
Tourism in Sri Lanka: Catalyst for Peace & Development or Militarization & Dispossession?
This week, there is a major international conference on tourism, in Pasikudah, in the Batticaloa district, Eastern province of Sri Lanka. The theme is “Tourism: a Catalyst for Development, Peace and Reconciliation”….
Appeal by the Families of the Disappeared
We, the Families of the Disappeared have been searching for our loved ones and calling for justice, for many years. Many Commissions were established by the previous government to carry out inquiries…
Civil Society in the East appeal to UNWGEID for Demilitarisation
Featured image courtesy RightsNow Members of civil society, including families of those disappeared in Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee have come together to issue a statement to the UN Working Group on Enforced and…
These Four Walls
We like to admit that we’ve moved past that and are moving forward but conflict scars a nation in ways that can’t always be healed. Our places are beautiful – sea, lagoon,…
Statement on 25th Anniversary of Mass Killings, Disappearances and Displacement Carried Out in Batticaloa in 1990
Photo by Kannan Arunasalam, Twenty five years ago, Batticaloa district experienced some of the most brutal violence of Sri Lanka’s long ethnic conflict, with a series of mass killings, large scale disappearances,…
Where are our loved ones who have been abducted, arrested and disappeared?
Image courtesy Today ### To His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Respected President, In the journey towards good governance where are our loved ones who…