Constitutional choices and Tamil politics – Part 1
In his articles in The Island of Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st September 2017, Dr Dayan Jayatilleka starts by asking the correct question, provides a correct answer and goes on to identify…
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Ongoing UNHRC session: What’s in store for Sri Lanka?
The term ‘painfully slow progress’ has become a standard descriptor for Sri Lanka’s overall pace of implementation of UNHRC resolution A/HRC/30/1 in Geneva. It has been two years since Sri Lanka cosponsored…
#DialogDown : Tracking the Network Disruption on Twitter
On the afternoon of September 20th, Dialog suffered disruptions to its service and network coverage for less than an hour. This affected voice, data and SMS services on mobile phones – quite…
Abortion, Women and Personhood
The government’s plans to liberalise Sri Lanka’s abortion laws has polarised public opinion. Abortion is either supported as a natural extension of a woman’s autonomy and right to choose, or is opposed…
Examining Facets of Corruption in Sri Lanka
Recent events have brought the issue of corruption into the spotlight. When you open a daily newspaper, chances are there will be four or five cases involving corruption within its pages, reported…
On the Harassment of the Lanka Comic Con Players
Though Sri Lanka often promotes the fact that it elected the first female Prime Minister as an example of its progressive stance on gender inequality, some Sri Lankans can’t stand to see…
Roti and Rice: Examining Imbalances in Nutrition for Children in the Estate Sector
It’s 10:30 am at the Social Institute for the Development of Plantation Sector (SIDPS) pre-school on the Strathspey estate in Maskeliya. The children, most of them around five years old, queue up…
Like Drought Parched Earth: The Painful Injuries Sustained By Tea Pluckers
“I apply castor oil to my fingers and hold them over the fire. That is the medicine. For two days, I can pluck tea. After that, the pain comes back. So I…
STORYSPHERE: In Search of Work
As part of a series marking 150 years of tea production in Sri Lanka, used StorySphere, an immersive storytelling platform created by Google to showcase 360 degree imagery. Here, Principal Sivayoga of…
STORYSPHERE: The Daily Journey
As part of a series marking 150 years of tea production in Sri Lanka, used StorySphere, an immersive storytelling platform created by Google to showcase 360 degree imagery. Here, Vice Principal of…
STORYSPHERE: Education at Risk
As part of a series marking 150 years of tea production in Sri Lanka, used StorySphere, an immersive storytelling platform created by Google to showcase 360 degree imagery. Here, Vice Principal Thiruchelvam…
The Road to School: Access to Education in the Plantation Sector
For children living in Spring Valley estate, close to Badulla, the day begins at 5:30 am, when they begin to get ready for the bus to school. The bus leaves at 6:20…
The Monarch and the Hegemon: Tales of Suicidal Folly
Emma Lazarus’ poem, , became news recently when a poetry website carried it in response to Donald Trump’s immigration policy, and Mr. Trump responded with a characteristic twitter-barrage. Lazarus’ poem, written to…
Voluntary, Safe and Sustainable Return: Support Needed for Sri Lankan Refugees
“O our motherland, bid us a farewell We buried our smiles in our lips We buried our life in our bodies We are making a procession like empty skeletons….” This was the…
A Honeymoon in a Refugee Camp – Remembering Black July, 34 Years Later
S Sornalingam had always thought he would have happy memories of July 1983. On July 15 that year, he and Suhenthra Muthuraja got married in a civil ceremony in Jaffna. At the time,…