Colombo
SAM THE INIMITABLE
Rajavarothayam Sampanthan M.P. (TNA/ITAK, Trincomalee District) gave Sri Lankans a wistful and even poignant glimpse of the ghost of parliamentary democracy a fortnight ago, when he delivered an incisive exposition of the…
The promise of Citizen Journalism: Article on Madrid11
Madrid11 features an article I wrote on Groundviews, where I explore the potential of citizen journalism to support & strengthen peacebuilding in Sri Lanka. Read the full article here.
Conflict on canvas
The portrayal of war and conflict through art is not a new phenomenon. From ancient cave paintings depicting tribal battles, to the Bayeux Tapestry illustrating the Battle of Hastings, right up to…
Crossing over into chaos
That Sri Lanka faces a serious crisis of governance is evinced by the crossing over of 16 of UNP MPs to government ranks in January 2007. Bi-partisanship, once again, fails in Sri…
Would the Real Dutugemunu Please Stand Up? Nationalism, ‘Authenticity’ and Populist Mobilisation in Sri Lanka
Would the Real Dutugemunu Please Stand Up? Nationalism, ‘Authenticity’ and Populist Mobilisation in Sri Lanka The current political context is one in which the Government of Sri Lanka has obviously swung in…
Seeing mobile phones as a basic human right
News that mobile phone users in the North & East of Sri Lanka are once again cut off is a disturbing trend in the erosion of fundamental rights, including Article 19 of…
Sun, sea and suicide bombers
Although the tourism industry has invested heavily in improving standards and services after the Ceasefire Agreement was signed in 2002, the number of tourists arriving in Sri Lanka continues to be threatened…
Insight into Governance from the Arrest that did not happen
The story that the editor of the Sunday Leader was to be arrested on account of that paper’s reportage on the proposed construction of a presidential bunker and the subsequent reportage that…
The Costs and Consequences of ‘Clearing’ the East
Last week this column ended with the statement that there was a lot to be learnt and unlearnt in 2007. The new year is now with us and with it the unfolding…
BETWEEN SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS, THE HAPLESS MR. VITHARANA
At the empennage of ghastly and gruesome 2006, the Majority Report of the Experts Panel was dismissed in these pages as inadequate, predictable and hesitant. In the light of what has gone…
Amidst shackles – Notes of a citizen journalist
An article, in Sinhala, on the bombing of Mannar and the general decline of human rights in Sri Lanka. Read the full article here.
Sri Lanka – Images of a divided nation
An article, in Sinhala, based on the findings of Social Indicator’s Peace Confidence Index, first published in Mawbima on 7th January 2007. Read the full article here.
Traditional solutions for modern day problems
When the people of Elpitiya are faced with a problem, they come together to discuss it and find a solution together. They believe that it is this simple concept that holds the…
Daily Security Report from UN – The plight of the North & East
Got this in my email today – paints a bleak picture of the North and East of Sri Lanka. Don’t know to whom this situation update goes to, but I’m sure there…