Where do they go from here?
On our way to the first scheduled hearing of Northern Muslims who were expelled by the LTTE in 1990, we spotted a group of men working hard out in the open, under…
Puttalam
We Regret To Inform You That Your Condolences Cannot Be Accepted At This Time
We regret to inform you that your condolences cannot be accepted at this time. At present, both our pain and our hope defy that word, which has been offered and denied us,…
The Muslim question and resettlement of Muslim IDPs in post-war Sri Lanka: Two comprehensive interviews
The question of Muslim identity, displacement and forcible evictions during war and their enduring socio-political impact in post-war Sri Lanka is often underplayed in the media and mainstream politics. Muslim IDPs in…
Needed: An Agenda for Reform on Groundviews
Whilst it is not clear as to whether we would be voting in both the presidential and general elections on the same day, it is clear that we will be voting in…
Feature story: Cries for help from Puttalam
Less that a kilometre away from a cluster of government offices in Puttalam dedicated to the welfare of Muslim IDPs is the home of thirty one year old Madeena, her jobless husband…
The voice of an IDP single mother in Puttlam
Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai “We lack road, water, and housing facilities. Our children are unable to attend school regularly as there is no proper transport service. We don’t have any facility and leading the…
Forgotten IDPs from the North
‘Cries from Puttalam’ For those familiar with the fairytales of the Grimm Brothers, the story of the young girl who equals her love for her father to her love for salt is…
The divide between Muslims and Tamils: Perspective of an IDP
“I was eight year -old, when we were forced out of Jaffna. I was crying throughout the journey from Jaffna to Puttlam. We came to Puliyankulam, Vavuniya and Puttalam. It took three…
Sri Lanka – Killing for Peace
Channel 4’s recent programme on Sri Lanka broadcast recently in England. As noted here, … the team making a documentary for Channel 4 was ordered to leave Sri Lanka’s embattled Jaffna peninsula…
Sri Lanka on tsunami alert after Indonesia quake (Updated)
12 Sep 2007 12:31:03 GMT Source: Reuters COLOMBO, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Sri Lanka issued a tsunami alert on Wednesday for its north, south and eastern districts following a major earthquake in…
Voldemort rising
Kofi Anan, former UN Secretary General At the time of writing, news of the liberation of the East and the resulting celebrations have captured headlines and the public imagination in Sri Lanka.…
We are nobody’s children…
Interview with Mrs. Alisa S. Mirza, Palaviya, Puttlam This camp occupies approx. 70 families evicted from Jaffna in 1990. For the past 17 years we have been completely ignored. If I am…
The Indo-Lanka Accord – Some reflections 20 years hence
ඉන්දු ලංක෠ගිවිසුම (1987 ජූලි- 2007 ජූලි): අවස්ථà·à·€à¶šà·Šà¶¯? බලහà¶à·Šà¶šà·à¶»à¶ºà¶šà·Š ද? “ඉන්දු ලංක෠ගිවිසුමෙහි දසවන සංවà¶à·Šà·ƒà¶»à¶º අවස්ථà·à·€ පෙන්නුම් කරන්නේ එහි අරමුණ වු ජනවà·à¶»à·Šà¶œà·’ක ගà·à¶§à·…ුවට දේà·à¶´à·à¶½à¶± විසඳුමක් සොය෠ගà·à¶±à·“මෙහි ල෠à·à·“â€à·Šâ€à¶» ලංකà·à·€ ඇදහිය නොහà·à¶šà·’…
Wars and Waves: Sri Lanka’s internally displaced
The 28 minute documentary “Wars and Waves: Sri Lanka’s internally displaced” that was produced by COHRE, and directed and written by me, is available online. There was a small private launch a…
Homeless in one’s homeland
Photo credit: Agron, from Portraits of Displacement Worldwide, those rendered homeless and destitute by violent conflict is growing. According to UNHCR statistics, the figure of Internally Displaced Persons stood at over 32…