Old Dutch Hospital in Colombo: Now open to the public
Image from by C.G. Uragoda and K.D. Paranavitana Being Poya with nothing much else to do, we strolled over to the newly restored and opened Old Dutch Hospital, which Colombo’s oldest building…
Jaffna
The singer might change but the song remains the same: A critical look at Roberts and Sarvananthan ‘outing’ Niromi de Soyza
John Ralston Saul[1] Edward W. Said[2] The job of a writer, especially one dealing with matters of historical import, is to make his or her agenda clear to the reader. Michael Roberts[3]…
Measuring (After Nandikadal)
An embarrassment, to forget over short eats, ignore the bundle on his back, that sloshed set of poetry he cannot avoid carrying, an appendix, reptilian brain, fascination with naming elements of the…
The Incomplete Thombu: A compelling interlace of architecture, drawing, memory and art
Front cover of . Click here for larger image. Put simply, by Sri Lankan Tamil artist T. Shanaathanan is, for us, one of 2011’s most compelling publications. It is art, but in…
Some observations on the Final Report of the Commission on the Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE in October 1990
This report provides what will be the definitive account of the story of the Northern Muslims following on their expulsion from the Northern Province by the LTTE in October 1990. Faithful throughout…
The Citizens’ Commission on the Expulsion of the Muslims from the Northern Province by the LTTE in October 1990
In October 1990, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) expelled the entire Muslim population of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Within a period of 2 weeks the LTTE systematically chased…
Outing a Counterfeit Guerrilla: A tale of lies by Tamil Tigress Niromi de Soyza
The objective of this research note is not only to uncover the truth or otherwise of the “memoir” by Niromi de Soyza (, but to go beyond and investigate the purpose/s of…
Post-war situation in Northern Sri Lanka & Prospects for Reconciliation
Changes since the end of the war: 30 months after the end of war, more people travel between the once off limits North[i] and the South and many of the travel restrictions…
Women Left Behind: Truth Commissioning in Sri Lanka
A mother displaying the photographs of his sons which are missing during the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) session in Trincomalee, December, 3-5, 2010. Photo courtesy Centre for Human Rights [i]…
A Fisherman Testifies
I learned from Sri Lanka to go overboard, to flounder in the deep ocean while Navy sailors beat me with sticks, and cut my nets, and round me up as the country’s…
Destroying monuments for those killed & disappeared: The Catholic Church and the Sri Lankan Government
On the evening of 26th October 2011, Fr. Srilal Manoj Perera (appointed by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith to be in charge of land issues for Archdiocese of Colombo), Fr. Prasad Perera, Parish Priest…
Peace, Military and People: Are non-military engagements of the military valid?
War or internal armed conflict in the North and East was over; Emergency is no more; but still the military is everywhere. The military is now engaged in peacetime police-work, whale watching,…
Reflections on Issues of Language in Sri Lanka: Power, Exclusion and Inclusion
Photo credit Dinuka Liyanawatte / Reuters, from Time magazine. Keynote address delivered on 17th October 2011 at ‘Language and Social Cohesion: 9th International Language and Development Conference, Colombo co-organized by the Ministry…
Sri Lankan Tamil Destiny is Inextricably Grounded Within Sri Lanka: A Response to D.B.S Jeyaraj
This is a belated response to D.B.S. Jeyaraj’s article titled “Tamil Destiny is inextricably intertwined with that of the Sinhalese,” which I noticed only a few days ago. I not only…
Waiting for the end of the LLRC
Image courtesy LLRC Another session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva has come to an end. Sri Lanka has emerged unscathed, even though considerable pressure is being exerted on the…
