July 83: A Mission of Revenge Takes Life of Activist
I was in Jaffna in July 1983, staying with a few friends of mine at the boy’s hostel of the University of Jaffna. The hostel was situated right by the Kokkuvil train…
Peace and Conflict
Dear Vimalathasan Anna
I don’t have any kind of greedy idea that you will get this letter. And yet, I cannot leave off from writing this letter to you. The mind flutters like the…
Unearthing Bandarawela’s Hidden Past: A Call for Memorialization and Reconciliation
Bandarawela town is the definition of a picture perfect landscape, surrounded by green hills, lush trees and bright flowers. But Bandarawela is also evolving into an urban hub in its own way….
Incubating, Again
Half a century ago, it was higher education, saving universities from Tamil encroachment. Today it is Buddhist heritage, saving archaeological sites in the North and the East from Tamil encroachment. Tomorrow another…
A Child’s Trauma Revealed Years Later
Pradeep The timing could not have been more disastrous. Shirani and the children were in Colombo when the riots broke out in July 1983. Arvind was three and Arjun was one year…
Living in Fear 40 Years On
When I confronted my Sinhala neighbour in my broken Sinhala over a certain issue recently, My Tamil neighbour pleaded, “Maureen we are Tamils, we can be in trouble”. I was shocked to…
Rebirth and Memory Black July, 40 Years Later
It is painful to read how Sri Lankan government ministers rallied their goondas to fan out in neighborhoods looking for Tamil homes marked on voter lists. It is painful to…
Anti-Tamil Pogrom of July 83: Root Causes Unaddressed Even After 40 Years
Editor’s note: July 23, 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the July 83 anti-Tamil pogrom, which has left an indelible mark on Sri Lanka’s history. This dark chapter overshadowed the nation’s post-independence…
Chandraguptha Thenuwara’s Three Exhibitions to Mark 40 Years of Black July
Since 1997, barring 2005, artist, sculptor, teacher and activist Professor Chandraguptha Thenuwara has been commemorating the horrific events of July 1983 in a series of exhibitions designed to make sure that people…
Government’s Feeble Response to UN Human Rights Review
Numerous ways in which human rights failings harming Sri Lankans should be set right were flagged up on July 10 by the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). This was part of…
Lack of Political Will Prevents Reconciliation and Ensuring Justice for Past Wrongs
As the government proposes yet another authority, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), to deal with the process of healing the country, human rights activists are questioning the motives behind the…
A Story of Healing, Resilience and Reconciliation
When the Easter Sunday bomb attacks brought tears to the world I, too, cried in Toronto for myself saying, “I am not safe here”. The images of Easter bombings brought memories of…
A Torture Victim’s Story
I have been a torture victim not for hours or days or months but for years. It started in May 1989, worsened by the end of the year and was slightly better…
Upholding Human Rights: Empowering Torture Survivors and Demanding Global Action
In my extensive work with torture victims, particularly within the Tamil community, I have witnessed first hand the unspeakable suffering endured by these individuals and the urgent need for comprehensive support and…
Unearthing the Truth about Sri Lanka’s Mass Graves
Sri Lanka’s bloody and brutal 26 year war, which ended 14 years ago, has left many questions unanswered; one of the most important is where are the many thousands of the missing?…