Sri Lanka and its ‘Geneva-problem’
The year 2009 was when the Western group of States at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) made a serious diplomatic blunder, by attempting to pass a resolution against Sri Lanka. The…
Reconciliation
GENEVA-II & FOUR-LEGGED FURNITURE
Photo courtesy The US resolution at the UN HRC in Geneva has deepened the schisms in Sri Lankan society. That resolution will have the same polarising function as did the Ceasefire Agreement…
Why Sri Lanka must ‘win’ at UNHRC
The following is an excerpt from a statement recently made by Ambassador Eileen Chambarlain Donahoe JD PhD, top US diplomat to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC): The case of Sri…
Thank you, Madam Navi Pillai
Photo courtesy JDS Thank you madam, for being the voice for the voiceless. The poverty stricken, wounded, displaced and marginalized Muslim and Tamil victims of the brutal thirty year war in our…
When a Prophet Speaks: Stephane Hessel on Sri Lanka
A prophet spoke at the UNESCO in Paris this week, though he joked that having lived for 90 years, he had written thirty pages and found he had been turned into ‘a…
History after the War: Challenges for Post War Reconciliation
[Editors note: Also listen to podcast by author here.] The end of the war is certainly not the end of the conflict that led to the military confrontation between the military forces of Sri…
History after the War: Challenges for Post War Reconciliation (Podcast)
This podcast is based on penned by the author. As noted in the article, From the point of view of a post-war reconciliation that should accommodate the legitimate demands of Tamils in…
A Road to Reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Will We Take It?
Photo courtesy REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte Despite the many limitations and criticisms levied at the final report of the LLRC, it must be recognized that in the presentation, the report reached a level of professionalism,…
Long Read: Creating Social Reconciliation or Social Implosion?
Photo from The Struggle for Justice blog Introduction Lankan society in its post-1948 history has undergone many violent conflicts in the form of pogroms, insurrections, and a civil war. The latest round…
The End of War in Sri Lanka: Reflections and Challenges released as iBook
From 19 – 27 May 2010, ran a special edition on the end of war in Sri Lanka. Over this week alone, the site received over forty-thousand readers and exclusively featured over eighty-thousand words…
Can GOSL Implement LLRC Recommendations?
Photo credit Ada Derana This is the question of the day. This is raised nationally and internationally and answers contrast for different reasons. In this article, I endeavor to briefly answer this question…
Longing and Belonging series: Returning lives, rebuilding limbs
Dr. Panagamuwa’s workshop was tucked away down a corridor of the Mannar Hospital in the north west of Sri Lanka. When I arrived, the doctor, dressed in his distinctive green theatre overalls,…
Longing and Belonging series: The science of planning in Jaffna
The throng of devotees and tourists visiting the Nallur festival had receded and life slowly returned to normal in Jaffna. I stayed behind to see if I could persuade others visiting from…
Longing and Belonging series: From London to Jaffna for the first time
The Nallur festival was in full flow. Kavadi drummers played for the crowds of devotees that swelled around Jaffna’s famous temple. Dotted around me were visitors from abroad. It was wonderful to…
Optics and politics of grief
Photo courtesy asianews.it UTHR(J), Special Report No: 34, December 2009 Moderating the session with Dr. Abuelaish Izzeldin, the author of at the Galle Literary Festival this year was memorable not so much for…
