Sri Lanka’s Obligations Towards Rohingya Asylum Seekers
Since the escalation of the conflict by a military takeover in February 2021, more than 1.3 million refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar are hosted in other countries around the world. The…
IDPs and Refugees
Vulnerable Visitors: The Test of a Nation’s Conscience
The recent arrival of a boat full of Rohingyas in the country raises some associated questions. What is the responsibility of the government towards such vulnerable visitors and what was the fate…
Rohingyas: Why are They in Sri Lanka and What Should We Do?
Rohingyas are an ethnic community from Myanmar’s Rakhine province. They have been facing severe persecution for decades, which continues until today. Myanmar’s government doesn’t accept them as citizens, so they are stateless….
Rohingya Refugees in Sri Lanka Seek a Permanent Solution to Their Plight
Hundreds of thousands of terrified Rohingya refugees flooded onto the beaches and paddy fields of southern Bangladesh in August 2017. When the refugees – almost 60 per cent of whom were children…
Hema Shironi’s Embroidery Depicts Impact of Conflict
Hema Shironi’s solo exhibition at the Saskia Fernando Gallery delves into the complex and often painful histories of colonization, civil war, displacement and migration, all of which are intricately woven into the…
Sri Lanka Falls Short in its Responsibilities Towards Refugees and Asylum Seekers
In 2023, the number of refugees and asylum seekers (those with pending refugee applications) in the world increased about 8.75% from 45.9 million to 50.3 million, according to statistics of the UN…
Fate of Refugees and Asylum Seekers Hangs in the Balance
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) and UN country team in Sri Lanka must do their utmost to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers don’t end up being stateless or compelled…
Christmas During the Civil War
Coming from a Christian family, Christmas is one of the most important festivals for us. I was born in Navaly village in Jaffna to a wealthy Christian family. My grandparents celebrated Christmas…
Refugees in Their Own Land: The Shared Plight of Sri Lankan Tamils and Muslims
I was 10 years old when Muslims were forced to move out of their homes in the North in October 1990. I never again saw or heard about the two Muslim students…
Rohingya Refugees in Sri Lanka
On December 17, 2022, fishermen in northern Sri Lanka alerted the navy about a boat in distress adrift in the sea. On December 18, the navy rescued a group of 104 people…
Transitional Justice, Refugees and IDPs in Post War in Sri Lanka
Following three decades of bloody and protracted civil war between government forces and the LTTE, the group was dismantled in May 2009. As reported by the U.N. panel formed by Secretary General…
Abandoned to Their Fate, Northern Villagers Battle to Survive
They are a small, tight knit community held together by their shared suffering and insurmountable difficulties. Ever since the start of the 1983 civil war, their lives have been marked by tragedy…
Building Bridges with Stories
Unsalted Porridge “Where do you suppose they must be serving porridge today?” Most of their mornings dawn with this question. Waking early, standing in line, pot in hand – that steaming hot…
Atrocities of the Civil War Through the Eyes of Artists
A common theme running through this year’s Colomboscope, entitled Language is Migrant, is the enduring consequences of Sri Lanka’s civil war as seen through the eyes of several young artists based in…
Juwairiya Mohideen: A Portrait in Courage
Thirty years ago, Juwairiya Mohideen was one of the 75,000 Muslims driven out of the North by the LTTE. She and her family were forced to settle as refugees in Puttalam, where…