Shades of an Undead Past
In Sri Lanka of 2024, kanji is a four letter word. During the long Eelam war, all sides committed horrendous atrocities. Sri Lankan forces, the LTTE and anti-Tiger Tamil groups all were…
Colombo
The Need to Heal a Fractured Nation
Fifteen years after the end of the civil war, Sri Lankan society remains as polarised as ever. While many international and national NGOs work tirelessly at the ground level to bring different…
Still Seeking Accountability 15 Years Later
Failure to hold the powerful accountable for misusing their power and inflicting damage on other people has harmed large numbers of Sri Lankans. This has been pointed out across the country and…
The 1998 Bharathipuram Killings and Accountability for War Time Atrocities
Killings of civilians and other atrocities have been widespread during three decades of war, mostly in the North an East. Sri Lankan armed forces, police and the LTTE appear to be responsible…
Prosecuting Crimes Requires a System Change
In the context of Sri Lanka, a crucial question arises: does the country possess the capability to effectively prosecute crimes? This question can be raised for numerous reasons. However, even before delving…
Will Rajapaksas’ Support Help or Hurt President’s Election Chances?
Sri Lanka’s independent Election Commission announced late last week the conducting of a presidential election in accordance with the Constitution and the relevant statute between September 17 and October 16 2024. The…
Government Proposes a Law to Control NGO Activity
On January 30, 2024 the Director General of the National Secretariat for Non-Government Organizations shared with a collective of civil society organizations a draft law to repeal and replace the Voluntary Social…
Paying Lip Service to Environmental Protection and Mitigating Climate Change
In February this year Sri Lanka received an UN award in recognition of its efforts to rebuild and restore its mangrove ecosystems, highlighting best practices and methodologies that could serve as a…
Disappearances, Torture and Sexual Violence Continue After War’s End
Although Sri Lanka’s civil war ended 15 years ago, members of the Tamil community are still being disappeared and subjected to torture and sexual violence, according to a new report by the…
Fifth Estate: Paradoxes of Digital Power
World audiences remain riveted to phone, computer and television screens, shocked as we all are by the bloody carnality of the war in Palestine, the graphic horror gripping attention by its lurid…
The Perilous State of Freedom of Expression
World Press Freedom Day is observed on May 3 to remind the world that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights. Many journalists have died or are…
How Social Media is Fuelling Sri Lanka’s Ethnoreligious Issues
In Nedunkeni, a small town outside Vavuniya, there is news of the destruction of an ancient Hindu monument, an athi lingam (distinguishable symbol) consecrated to Lord Siva, that stood proudly on Vedukkunaari…
Sajith Premadasa Reduces Gap with A.K. Dissanayake in Presidential Election
The Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP provisional estimates of presidential election voting intent in March 2024 show support for SJB leader Sajith Premadasa increasing to…
SJB Leads in Parliamentary Elections For First Time Since 2022
The latest estimates from Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) SLOTS MRP model confirm an increasing trend in support for SJB at the expense of the NPP/JVP. The SJB on 38% (+4) took…
From Absurdities to Atrocities, Again?
Voltaire (Letter to Fredrick the Great – 28.11.1770) Sri Lanka’s road to ruin was marked by miracles. The story, born in mystery, spread across the land at the speed of light. Luminous…