Sri Lanka May Yet Be Lost, or Saved
Original photo Ranga Sirilal | Reuters Two years after the comprehensive defeat of the LTTE, the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war is still playing itself out. Take the events of the…
Reconciliation
Going beyond mainstream media: The best Twitter feeds on and from Sri Lanka
Just over a year ago, in April 2010, launched two curated Twitter lists on Sri Lanka to help those in and outside the country access news, information and critical conversations that went…
V-Day 2nd Anniversary: Peace Under Pressure
Original image by J. Adam Huggins for Every mayoralty in Paris has tablets on which are inscribed the names of those from that locality who died in the many wars which France…
Tuyilam Illam: Positivist readings and new debating grounds
[Author’s note: Though I was invited around February 2011 to respond to the discussion in on the issue of Tiger ‘cemeteries’ being desecrated, I was so busy that my draft article simply…
Reflecting on the End of the Sri Lankan Civil War: The Need for a New Conversation in the Global Sri Lankan Community
Although military hostilities in Sri Lanka ended two years ago, the dynamics of the conversation in the global Sri Lankan community continues to be influenced by the nations’ past conflicts. Decades of…
Buddhism and its impact on governance
Image from Travel Blog Today, Wesak is the most revered day in the Buddhist calendar. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, the celebration is led by a small group of apparently sanctimonious humbugs followed…
Reconciliation without Truth in Sri Lanka?
South Africa had a Truth and Reconciliation commission presided over by Desmond Tutu. Human Rights activists who looked forward to Reconciliation and peace at the end of the civil war in 2009,…
Anti-UN sentiment in Jaffna: Fact or fiction?
The reveals that bereft of any public support, the minister and his goons are now ostensibly forcing people to sign their names, and this too in the regions most affected by war.…
Sinhala and Tamil translations of UN Panel’s report on accountability
Original image from TNL The official version of the report published by the panel constituted by the UN Secretary General to look into issues of accountability in Sri Lanka was released on…
Notes on Possibilities after the UN Report: Including Nationalism and ‘The Geopolitics of Emotion’
Photo courtesy Deborah Philip It was my sense after May 18, 2009 when the LTTE was defeated that Sri Lanka was missing an opportunity to redefine itself as part of a kinder,…
Violence and accountability
Cartoon by Albert Ashok As conflict raged, the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights had stern words for those on both sides. “All violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law…
War Crimes Accountability In Sri Lanka: Is There A Liberal Democratic Alternative To International Action?
Sri Lanka’s President pictured here with the Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal (L) and his brother Basil Rajapaksa, the Economic Development Minister (R) has repeatedly called the war a…
Reconciliation and accountability after the UN Panel’s report: Challenges and opportunities for Sri Lanka and the UN system
Image courtesy Huffington Post Asia Pacific Forum is a pan-Asian radio show broadcast every Monday night from 9-10pm on WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City and live on the web. WBAI…
An elephantine gestation: UN Panel’s report on accountability in Sri Lanka released
Leaked versions of the UN Panel’s report found their way into . The UN had earlier expressed its deep regret over the leak to mainstream print media in Sri Lanka. Accusations between Palitha…
The cynical manipulation of international law: Murdering civilians in No Fire Zones and other war crimes allegations
has contextualised in detail the Executive Summary and Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the leaks. published today Part 7 which deals with credible allegations of war crimes by the Sri Lankan Government and its armed…