En route to Promised Land
Image via TRT World “Let me bow before you my country, where It is ordained that none will walk the streets with his head held high.” Faiz (Let me bow before you)…
Issues
Unsettled Account
I am not surprised by the new leadership’s decision to ban the playing of the anthem in Tamil at Independence Day celebrations. Key members of this government ran the show when the…
10 Years After the War: A Reminiscence
Although the war ended a decade ago, the ethno-political and social fractures from violent conflict endure. On no other day are they more apparent than on May 18. Often, what we see,…
Ekneligoda disappearance – 10 years struggle for truth and justice
Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP via Today, 10th January 2020, is 10 years since the disappearance of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. It also marks 10 years of struggle for truth and justice…
Be still and nourish freedom: A Reflection
With Freedom (Independence) Day in sight we should be reflecting on how best our freedom gained, is to be consolidated and what new freedoms are to be secured. As change occurs, our…
Killing Elephants in Sri Lanka
Photo courtesy Killing elephants with shotguns is very inefficient. The clusters of tiny, iron pellets rarely kill such large animals instantly. Instead, pellets lodge in tissue and cartilage, causing wounds that ooze…
Constitutional amendments: A blast from the past
Photo courtesy The current constitution of Sri Lanka is commonly referred to as the “JR Constitution” due to the nature of its inception. Its birth and enactment have a long and convoluted…
Academics, researchers & practitioners condemn the Government’s attempts to remove the Director General of the National Archives
23rd December 2019 Colombo, Sri Lanka TO: His Excellency Gotabaya Rajapaksa President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Presidential Secretariat, Galle Face Colombo 01 CC: Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa Minister of…
10 Years After the War: Violence in a Time of Peace
Although the war ended a decade ago, the ethno-political and social fractures from conflict endure. On no other day are they more apparent than on May 18. Often, what we see, read…
Taking Stock for the New Year
Photo courtesy A tumultuous year has ended, and an uncertain future lies ahead. Democratic space is already closing around us, and it is critical for civil society to be clear-eyed about where…
On loss and bereavement
Photo courtesy ‘This is how we felt after the tsunami, stunned, bewildered.’ So many friends in Sri Lanka said this to me in days following the Easter Sunday suicide bombings this year.…
2019: A Recap
Photo courtesy The last year of this decade, 2019 is possibly a turning point in Sri Lankan history. When looking back on the year that passed, what looms above all else is…
The Return
Photo courtesy the President’s Twitter account “As if our democracy was nothing but a short-lived dream,” says Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa in her new documentary dealing with the slow unravelling of democracy…
Where are we now? Reflections on the International Human Rights Day 2019
The focus of 2019’s International Human Rights Day is on a celebration of “the courage, clarity, and principle of women, men, and young people who are rising up peacefully to create greater…