My Country of Contradictions
Some years ago, when I was younger, I could see where all the stereotypes about our island came from. I could see why people said Sri Lankans were particularly warm or friendly…
Reconciliation
What must it be like to live behind these Kovil gates?
[Authors note: This is something I wrote a few months ago, that still resonates I believe with our society today.] I was on my way for practice yesterday, when I passed the…
A response to Kusal Perera on political honesty and questioning Sarath Fonseka
[Editors note: Mano Ganesan kindly accepted our invitation to respond to Kusal Perera’s article .] This subject of Sarath Fonseka should not be considered as an isolated issue. Sri Lanka is a…
1,000 posts on Groundviews: Bearing witness, shaping peace
Exactly three years after its launch, published its 1000th post today. In it Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu identifies the site with quality debate and asks citizens to use it to canvass their ideas…
Needed: An Agenda for Reform on Groundviews
Whilst it is not clear as to whether we would be voting in both the presidential and general elections on the same day, it is clear that we will be voting in…
The HOPE in Sri Lanka after war
“Where is the hope?” is a question that the writer encountered quite a few times when she asked people to pose with the HOPE board. The culture of impunity prevalent in post-war…
Eyes Wide Open
“On my instructions, due to the priority given to the policy of zero civilian casualties the security forces are limiting themselves to rescue operations of the entrapped civilians held hostage as a…
Bearing Witness: Submit content on IDPs and Police brutality to win a Flip Ultra video camera
Through Bearing Witness, seeks to engender critical citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka. The ground conditions in Menik Farm, worsened by recent flooding, are a…
The shame of Menik Farm
The floods that affected significant swathes of the expansive Menik Farm a week ago generated interesting responses from government. One of the most revealing was the deafening silence of the usually loquacious…
Unpacking the Truth in Sri Lanka
In recent weeks there has been some talk about a truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) as something that will allow Sri Lanka to come to terms with its troubled past and move…
A critique of Sri Lanka Unites: Freedom has NOT made itself known
“After 25 years, terror, war, and violence have lost their grip, and freedom has finally made itself known” ~ Prashan De Visser, President, Sri Lanka Unites While acknowledging the meritorious work of…
Madhu Feast 2009: Another opportunity or obstacle for peace and reconciliation?
“We used to live very close to the Madhu Shrine and we long to go and pray at the feat of Our Lady of Madhu as we used to. But we are…
Post-war reconciliation and nation-building in a global context
There have been three civil wars fought against the Sri Lankan state: 1971, 1986-89, 1979-2009. The Sri Lankan state prevailed in all three. These three wars settled three basic questions. The first…
I think it’s stupid, do you?
I think it’s stupid… To think that the trauma and suffering of thirty years can be extinguished by one bullet to the back of one guy’s head. I think it’s stupid… To…
Let’s just be Sri Lankan men!
There’s a lot more to being Sri Lankan than koththu and cricket. But I have to say, they are really high up on my list of all that’s great about us! These…
