The Other Side
A glimpse of the streets we would have called home, I’m laughing in the park, climbing the coconut trees, Cycling through the dusty lanes, playing at the local spots. It’s a strange…
Post-War
SAMPUR: Documentary trailer
Thousands of individuals from across Sri Lanka have been displaced for years, some multiple times. For over a decade, the Centre for Policy Alternatives (the institutional home of ) has documented issues…
A Meaningful Right to Equality and Non-Discrimination: Recognising Sexual and Gender Identities
Image from 30 Years Ago In response to the call by the Public Representations Committee (PRC) for public submissions relating to proposed constitutional reforms, the following submission was made to the PRC…
Right to Truth Day
Today, March 24th, is International Day for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. It’s an opportune moment to recall an exhibition from 2015,…
Disappearances in Sri Lanka & Role of Civil Society
Featured image courtesy ICMP It is significant for me to talk about civil society’s role on disappearances at an event organized by Law and Society Trust (LST) because it was at LST…
Public Service Failure: A Rant
Featured image courtesy Sanka Vidanagama, Getty images When I entered the Ministry of External Affairs to get my education certificates validated, I was pleasantly surprised to see the orderly queue the crowd…
Proposals for the new constitution: People’s Democratic Centre
Photo courtesy ConstitutionNet We wish to present the following proposals for the Constitution Nature of the State The Sri Lankan Constitution should provide the basis for a strong constitutional commitment to plural democracy,…
Rajapaksa’s Retreat: Temporary Truce or Political Imposture?
Photography courtesy The active politician is a creator, an initiator: but he is neither creates from nothing nor does he move in the turbid void of his own desires and dreams….
Lingering Memories of Conflict in Postwar Jaffna
Recently, featured those who are trying to reshape Jaffna, post-war, using the arts. While there are spaces opening up for expression, the question remains: how far have the people of Jaffna progressed…
Sri Lanka’s Victims Demand and Deserve Credible Justice
Image courtesy IRIN “The regime has changed, but the system remains the same; how can we expect justice from them?,” asked a Tamil nun who survived the brutal conflict between the Sri…
Accountability and a Political Solution: A Response to Ram Manikkalingam
Photo courtesy Understanding the Age of Transitional Justice In a recent article, Ram Manikkalingam – a member of the Sri Lankan President’s Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) – argues that…
Sinha Le Politics and Socio-cultural Persecution
The Independence Day celebrations commenced with the national anthem sung in Sinhala and concluded with the national anthem sung in Tamil. It was a first and a good first, a gesture of…
An Appeal to Democratic Forces
Photography courtesy Huffington Post The great electoral victory won by democratic forces on 8th January 2015 against the anti-democratic, corrupt, murderous, and authoritarian family rule is in jeopardy. The Rajapaksa family and…
The High Commissioner for Human Rights visit to Sri Lanka raises hopes for victims
Photo courtesy Reuters, via CFR This week, the UN’s top human rights official, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein – the High Commissioner for Human Rights – is visiting Sri Lanka. He will see…
Independence Not An Accident: Muslim Leaders Put ‘Country Before Self’
Featured image courtesy Reuters The essence of statesmanship is not a rigid adherence to the past, but a prudent and probing concern for the future. –Hubert H. Humphrey ‘A Small Island of…
