The rights of the disabled: Forgotten and forsaken?
Of the more than 6 billion people in the world, the UN estimates that more than 500 million of them are disabled. That is approximately 8%. In the early 1900s and before,…
Media and Communications
The Travelling Circus on video: Looking at war and IDPs through theatre
Obligingly recorded by Young Asia Television at the request of , produced by Mind Adventures, directed by Tracy Holsinger and recently staged in Colombo. An in-depth review of the production is published on…
100 days in hard labour and counting: The plight of J.S. Tissainayagam
Today is Human Rights Day, which honours the UN’s adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 10 December 1948, the first global enunciation of human rights. Today is…
THE RAJAPAKSE REGIME AND THE FOURTH ESTATE
Authors note: This is the first of two articles. The second is in draft form and is tentatively entitled’. It may appear first in print form, but that remains to be seen.…
Visualising key speeches and submissions of Sarath Fonseka
Now officially a Presidential aspirant, erstwhile Army Commander Sarath Fonseka has, since late October 2009 made a number of verbal and written submissions regarding his candidacy and political life after retirement. In…
We will reap what we sow: Sri Lanka’s Presidential contenders
In a one dimensional interview with the , General Sarath Fonseka outlined his grievances before the people and we got an idea why he is running for the highest office in the…
Media, Civil Society and Social Mobilisation
by Arjuna Ranawana[i] and Anupama. M. Ranawana[ii] Think to that place that this country has now come to, – the chaos of impunity, the failure to protect human rights and the hysteria of…
Confessions of a Digital Immigrant
My daughter Dhara, 13, finds it incredible that I had never seen a working television until I had reached her current age — that’s when broadcast television was finally introduced in Sri…
In Praise of the Devil’s Advocate
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to death your right to say it” said Voltaire after reading Rousseau’s We respect the courage and honesty of Voltaire and other…
Lazy Academics and a Diaspora Without Direction
The recent Amnesty International sponsored forum “Sri Lanka: Human Rights Issues and Media Representation” held last week in Melbourne was a missed opportunity. The forum could have signposted the strategies needed to…
Press freedom in the cyber age
When I first heard of indispensable machine, I left the island on voluntary exile. Some seven years later, the information technology landscape of Sri Lanka has seen dramatic transformations, in keeping with…
Caught between the real and virtual in Sri Lanka
Dear GROUNDVIEWS, I congratulate you on your continued publication on the web! I am truly happy that Sri Lanka’s contributions to the global community has not been merely such things as the…
The case of Jaseekaran and the Rule of Law in Sri Lanka
The case On 26 October 2009, B. Jaseekaran and V. Valarmathi were released as the state council withdrew the charges filed against them. Both of them were partners of journalist J. Tissainayagam…
1,000 posts on Groundviews: Bearing witness, shaping peace
Exactly three years after its launch, published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas…
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…