Aluthgama Three Years On
Dharga town is sleepy in the afternoon heat, especially at this time of year, the month of Ramadan. However, three years ago, in 2014, the streets were filled with smoke. has written…
Sri Lanka
A Tale of Incompetence – RTI Reveals CMC Inaction Leading Up To Meethotamulla Tragedy
On April 14, 2017 the garbage dump in Meethotamulla collapsed, killing 32 people. These deaths could have been avoided. That they could not, points to a systematic failure of the State to…
Tourism Overlooks Livelihood Recovery in Post-War Sri Lanka
Introduction In July 2016, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in association with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), organized a four-day international conference in Passikudah, Batticaloa district. Its theme was:…
Three years since Aluthgama: Hopes for co-existence remain more elusive than ever
Today marks the third anniversary of the Aluthgama riots, a seismic event in the history of Sri Lanka’s troubled ethnic relations. The dark days of 15th and 16th June 2014, saw marauding…
Some Questions about Violence and Theravada in Buddhism
Recent attacks on Muslim mosques instigated by certain Buddhist groups (members of which include Buddhist monks) as well as the post-independence orientation of the Sangha in general, aside from admirable exceptions, against…
Desertification of Jaffna and Jojoba
This is in reference to Dr.Rohan Wickramasinghe’s valuable and interesting article of Tuesday 6th June. The desertification process in Jaffna has been detected and analysed for over half a century and the…
Response to Devanesan Nesiah on “National Reconciliation Policy”
First, I must thank Devanesan Nesiah for his response in ) with his agreement on 7 of the 8 policy areas raised, and clearly expressing his doubts, disagreements and suggestions. As John…
Awards, Recognitions and Sri Lankan Creative Writing in English
. About Concerns of Judges When speaking of the concerns we have as judges with regard to our experiences in judging the entries for the 2016 Gratiaen Prize, I am speaking on…
#FloodSL: Key Accounts to Follow
Sri Lanka is experiencing flooding after what is said to be the most torrential rains since 2003. Despite being beset with heavy flooding in 2016 as well, the country was still unprepared for this…
Sri Lanka Floods 2017: Sharing the Blame
Once again Sri Lanka is in the grip of a natural disaster. Thousands have been displaced and hundreds killed by the floods and landslides. The tragedy is that this time the rains…
Stemming the Tide
Iqram Siyadhu works at a store selling rexine carpeting in Wijerama. A fire broke out on May 22 under suspicious circumstances. “The police came and made an entry about the incident,” Iqram said.…
Remembering Sivaram
His biographer speaks of the unimaginable cultural consequences of living continually under the gun. Although this comment was made about Tamil communities living in Sri Lanka more widely, it provides the basis…
Escalating Violence: Renewed assaults on the Muslim community
Post war Sri Lanka saw a wave of attacks targeting the Muslim community by Buddhist extremist groups. The Mahinda Rajapaksa government allowed these extremists free rein, which caused extensive damage, including injuries…
Why Doctors and Students Are Protesting Against Sri Lanka’s Only Private Medical College
In Sri Lanka, doctors and students have been protesting for months, requesting the government to shut down the private South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM), the only private university in Sri Lanka currently…
Victory over Remembrance: A day of division
On May 18, 2009, Sri Lanka ended a decade long civil war. The day after, May 19, has traditionally been celebrated as “Victory Day” and marked with military parades. That is, until…