Winning For Whom?
“Catch it!” Two words that snap me into action, The crowd cheering, my team turns and looks at me. The adrenaline surges and I am out of my daydream. Catch it, and…
Reconciliation
On the path of reconciliation in Sri Lanka
“Knowledge is power vs. power is knowledge” Politics has played a significant role in the Sri Lankan conflict which some consider to be an “ethnic” conflict, some as a “civil” war while…
We, Displaced.
She marched through the streets in ’09, For a country thousands of miles away, For the people she had never met. She marched, and she stood side by side Thousands. Thousands, who,…
Some suicides are never recorded
Some suicides are never recorded. She stared at the pill in her hand Reflecting on all that she had done, On all that she thought it would be. Her family hated the…
The struggle for memory
I went to the place on May 18th around 10am, where we had the commemoration last year thinking that security would be eased and space given for people to commemorate the tragedy…
Our Shared Truth
There is a place, unassuming and quiet on the pristine Southern coast; white sand fringed by blue sea under the shade of an unbroken line of coconut palm trees. Weligama, ‘sandy town’.…
Transparency Key as Rights Commission Deadline Looms
Photo courtesy January 2015 saw a momentous change in Sri Lanka. After nearly 10 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, a new government promising change was voted into office. The new government immediately…
Truth Beyond Commissions: A Reflection
Photo courtesy On the 31st of March a small gathering at the Bar Association Auditorium in Colombo, heard a wise and timely presentation on restorative justice and constitutionalism by a visiting lawyer…
Questions of Haste, Urgency and Consultations in Transitional Justice
On a recent visit to the United States, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera made a revealing series of comments in response to a question at a forum organized by the United States Institute…
Interview: Prospects for Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka
An interview with Howard Varney a few weeks ago held in Colombo attempted to demystify transitional justice and map out the challenges around reconciliation in Sri Lanka. As noted on the website…
Bridging The Racial Divide
Featured image courtesy the Music Project It can hardly be denied that divisions based on race has proved a major issue for Sri Lanka in the past. Racial discrimination propelled by the…
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,…
Why not Tamil Buddhists, Mr. Minister?
Featured image courtesy Mathrubhumi News Many of our Parliamentarians ought to be told that it is far wiser to keep their traps shut and be thought of as fools, rather than open…
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…
