waiting for the war to end
In this place there are No trees no old house With the rope swing Between the karatha kolombang Trees Here there is only White heat white-brown sand Four tin walls And a…
Trincomalee
Erasing Identities: Tracing Sri Lanka’s Post-war Journey through the Changing Realities of Trincomalee
Introduction When I went to Trincomalee last November with a few university friends I noticed a distinct unfriendliness in the air. While growing up, I often visited Trincomalee, because my cousins lived…
Continuing Detention of Tamil Women and a Girl Child under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
Image courtesy Sri Lanka Brief In 2009 the government announced that the LTTE has been wiped out from the country with the end of the armed conflict. However, in the past few…
Mixed Messages and Bland Oversimplification in President Rajapaksa’s Independence Day Speech
In a significant act of outreach the Independence Day ceremonies were held in Trincomalee, a provincial city with a pronounced ethnic mix; while President Rajapaksa presented one part of his message in…
Sri Lanka’s 65th Anniversary of Independence
Photo via NowPublic Greetings Lanka! Today marks the 65th Anniversary of Independence of our country. This year would also mark the fourth year anniversary of ‘defeating terrorism’. But, little has changed, and…
Independence Day 2013
Image via Sri Lanka for 91 Days This Monday President Mahinda Rajapaksa will celebrate Independence Day in Trincomalee, under the theme . For weeks Trincomalee has been getting a facelift. Roads are being widened,…
Update on the struggle to go home in post war Sri Lanka: Manthuvil in the Mullativu district
In relation to the 6 families who were staying at Our Lady of Velankanni church, original article available here. Due to insistence of the families, the Army had agreed to vacate the…
Eastern Province election: The big lie about shared power in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy AP/Eranga Jayawardena Justice Minister Hakeem was reported to have told during campaigning, he should not be made to look like a man taken hostage. Ministers Rambukwella and Premjayantha, invited TNA to…
The struggle to go home in post war Sri Lanka: Manthuvil in the Mullativu district
Last Friday, 14th September, I visited friends from Manthuvil and Puthukudiruppu, both in the Mullativu district who are trying to resettle in their own houses. One friend has a lovely house in…
Provincial Council Election: Real-time updates
@mhmhisham is turning out the best updates on Twitter. #PCelectionsLK and #ep2012 are key hashtags aggregating all the tweets on the September 2012 Provincial Council elections. See below for aggregation and real…
Muslims and the Eastern Provincial Council Elections in Sri Lanka: Kingmakers or Pawns?
Photo via As the campaigning for the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) election concludes, there are only a few absolute certainties as to the outcome – most notably that there will be no…
Public Perceptions of the LLRC in Trincomalee
Photo credit JDS President Mahinda Rajapaksha appointed the Lessons learnt and Reconciliation commission in May 2010 and after 18 months of sittings, the commission submitted its report to the President in November 2011.…
Tamil Civil Society Memo to the TNA regarding the Eastern Provincial Council Elections
Editors note: Also read , published in December 2011. Tamils have consistently made it clear that a unitary constitution and a provincial council system within the confines of a unitary constitution are incapable…
Troubled Waters: Corruption and Human Trafficking in Post-war Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Herald Sun Australia has recently been dealing with an upsurge of asylum seekers who have traveled by boat from elsewhere in Asia. The notes that, “While most boats originate in…
Growing concern over human smuggling and trafficking in Sri Lanka: Interview with ILO
On 2nd July, the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) organised a panel discussion on preventing human smuggling and trafficking. The event was as much a forum to discuss the incredible increase in,…