Macaque Havoc
The narrow, winding road at Kadugannawa is littered with small roadside shops selling corn, grapefruit and the local favourite polos and roti, coconut flatbread with a side of baby jackfruit curry. We…
Kandy
From Pilgrim to Terrorist
One morning in April 2008, Rameshkumar picked up a hire in his tuk tuk in Digana and was driving to the destination when he was suddenly accosted by a group in a…
The Role of the Public in Fighting Racial Nationalism and Religious Extremism
It is not strange to Sri Lanka that race, religion and culture are continuously exploited by politicians to maintain their voter base and to secure their seat in governance. It is a…
A Diseased State of Affairs
About 10 days ago, a video surfaced online of an unmasked and ungloved policeman stopping and arresting some men in a trishaw on a road in the dead of night. Among these…
Disappearances in Sri Lanka: Struggles by Families and Reprisals
In different parts of Sri Lanka, families of the disappeared came together to hold events to commemorate the UN Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on August 30. In Digana (Central province), families held…
Is the State grossly underestimating the losses from the Mob Violence in Kandy?
In March 2018, mob violence visited pockets in an East to West arc from 5-20 kilometres North of Kandy. The state is obligated to ensure the safety of its citizens and it…
On the action and inaction of law enforcement personnel | Kandy: The damage and the distrust
‘We hid inside the house, trying to keep the children calm and quiet’ says Faunoon. She didn’t let her children catch a glimpse of what was happening outside their home in Ambatenne,…
On the perpetrators and their intent | Kandy: The damage and the distrust
‘I used to give this space for people to hold dansals at on Vesak and Poson poya days’ says Jazeel, indicating the parking area of his showroom. Jazeel’s shop was centrally located…
On messaging and the media | Kandy: The damage and the distrust
‘For three years, they have been putting up these posters, telling people not to go to our shops’ said Nizar. They were not pasted on his shop, he says, but in public…
On compensation | Kandy: The damage and the distrust
Mr. Jazeel (captured in featured image) walks around his shop, located on the bend near the Akurana bridge, 12 kilometres from the bustling Kandy city. It looks the same as it did…
Kandy: The damage and the distrust
In Akurana, bunting with the words ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ hangs inside a quiet home. In Digana, newly built shops hurry to restock for weeks of festive shopping. In Pallekele, kanji is being cooked…
Untold Stories from Kandy
“This is the money that my daughter and I collected every day in a till. It used to be on the cabinet. The notes can no longer be found. The coins were…
Racism in Education, Religion and Neoliberalism: Empowering the anti-minority extremists?
Image courtesy The highly-educated and hyper-religious Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is consistently failing to apply inclusive, just, and peaceful approaches to resolving the country’s violent inter-communal clashes. The unfolding narrative…
Havoc in the hills: A Reflection
Image courtesy Madness against Muslims The shameful acts of violence against the Muslim community in the Kandyan hills, were possible because the violence unleashed against the Muslim community in Ampara and…
The politics of organized violence against the Muslim Community
Image courtesy Azzam Ameen It is an interesting phenomenon in Sri Lanka that the very same people who bristle at the very suggestion of deficiencies in the Sri Lankan State and most…
