Photo courtesy of ICRC Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict Almost every conflict around the world from Bosnia to Syria, Myanmar, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka,…
Breakfast for three, hundred and fifty rupees. A trail of tea travelling through cups of steel, One held over another. Trees burdened by what they’ve witnessed, Hunched over. A sly wink. A…
May 18, 2021 marks 12 years since the end of the war. It must be an occasion for us as Sri Lankans to assess progress we have made in addressing root causes…
Photo courtesy of Kumanan Kanapathippillai Over three decades of civil war has touched the lives of Sri Lankans of all ages, all races and all social classes. Fathers, sons, daughters and wives…
Image Courtesy of Amalini de Sayrah The first five months of 2009 brought immense and unprecedented pain to the people of northern Sri Lanka, and to their many Tamil relatives outside the…
Calling a civil conflict or a civil war, a war itself, is very misleading. Wars are fought with external enemies. However, civil conflict or a civil war is a fight that takes…
Thennamaravadi is an isolated rural village some 65 kilometres north of Trincomalee on the Pulmoddai Road. The inhabitants rely mostly on farming and fishing to make a livelihood. They have some livestock…
Today is International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action A protracted war leaves behind many legacies – grieving families, shattered limbs, destroyed homes, disrupted education, lost livelihoods and psychological…
Iranaitheevu has been in the news this month after residents steadfastly opposed a government decision to use the island to bury COVID-19 dead bodies. On April 23, 2018, Iranaitheevu residents re-claimed their…
Three years ago, the villagers of Mullikulam in the Mannar district left behind their brick homes with water, toilets and beds to camp out in tents on the land they called home….
Image Courtesy of Colombo Gazette In Sri Lanka, the challenge to achieve transitional justice lies not in the process alone but also in coming to terms with the ultimate goal. In a…
Photo courtesy of The Statesman Maaveerar Naal, otherwise known as Heroes day, is celebrated on November 27 to remember those who lost their lives fighting for the LTTE. While this day has…
It is increasingly evident that the lasting impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic will not be merely health related. In the early stages of government efforts to contain the virus and over the…
Photo courtesy of Abdul Khaleq “And home isn’t here and home isn’t there” – Deborah Landau, The Last Usable Hour Every story of ethnic cleansing is heart breaking. Some of them have…
Photo Courtesy of Selvaraja Rajasegar On 18 May 2009, this mother traveled to the army-controlled area via Mullivaikkal Vattuvakal. There she handed over her 33-year-old son to the army. He had refused…
