transcurrents.com

Targeting the Commonwealth Summit in Sri Lanka By Dayan Jayatilleka The moving, multimedia memorialisation in the USA of the shock and suffering caused by the terrorist attacks of 9/11, on the 10th anniversary of those horrific episodes, provide a perspective on Sri Lanka’s war. Three thousand people were killed on 9/11. The response was to [...]

by Melani Manel Perera Resources are at risk. Residents in affected area want the government to enforce the law that regulates the maritime border and access to the waters of the two nations, which have been violated by Indian trawlers. The Fisheries and Defence Ministries show indifference to their plight. “Every day, about 500 trawlers [...]

Sri Lanka: Post-War Progress-Report By International Crisis Group 1. Post-war progress? Assessing government claims 2. What should be done? 1. Post-war progress? Assessing government claims More than two years after the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, the political situation in the country remains deeply worrying. The unique opportunity the government has to build a [...]

via UN News Centre Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent the report of his panel of experts on accountability issues during the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka to the United Nations human rights chief and the President of the Human Rights Council.

Excerpts from remarks by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay at the opening day of the 18th UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva today: Distinguished Members of the Human Rights Council, Yesterday we commemorated the tragic events of September 11, 2001. We joined in remembrance of the victims of the attacks against [...]

The primate research team of the Wildlife Conservation Society Galle (WCSG) has carried out research on Southern Purple Face Leaf Langur (purple-faced leaf monkey). The Facebook pages of WCSG are reporting that, Twenty-six troops from rain forests and home gardens around Galle and Matara Districts have been observed during this study. While recording observations, the [...]

By Namini Wijedasa in Hambantota An evaluation team from the Commonwealth Games Federation has concluded that holding the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Hambantota presents a medium to high risk. This has given the Gold Coast in Australia, the other contender, a distinct edge. The team’s decision comes as no surprise. Hambantota is today an unnerving [...]

Rajapaksas want to impose their writ and will on Colombo via a puppet-mayor by Tissaranee Gunasekara “Make us development orphans”. A slogan at the September 6th protest against Rajapaksa land-grabbing The Rajapaksa plan to evict almost 70,000 poor families from Colombo and sell/lease their lands to favoured bidders has been put on the backburner – [...]

High Commissioner of India Ashok K. Kantha and Hon’ble Governor of Central Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, in presence of Most Venerable Mahanayake Asigiriya, Most Venerable Anunayake Malawatte, Most Venerable Mahasangha and Hon’ble Diyawadana Nilame, unveiled a 16 feet high idol of Lord Buddha at the entrance of the International Buddhist Museum complex in Sri Dalada Maligawa [...]

Assertiveness without content – that’s the 9/11 decade in a nutshell by Louise Arbour The first political decade of the new millennium began in the fall of 2001 on American soil and ended in the spring of 2011 in North Africa and the Middle East. In the course of that decade, the rich world became [...]

Tamil film Azhagarsamyin Kutharai (Azhagarsamy’s Horse) is selected to be part of this year’s lineup at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Cameron Bailey, a programmer of TIFF says, “Watching a good film is like tasting a good wine or running your hand over a well-built piece of furniture: you can sense the maker’s thousand decisions [...]

First takeaways from Delhi blast By Col. R Hariharan Terrorists have struck once again in Delhi taking the historical count of such attacks to more than a dozen. Apart from the tragic loss of lives of innocent public, the repeated terror attacks in Delhi have exposed the soft underbelly of India’s fight against terrorism. Unfortunately [...]

by Melani Manel Perera The Sri Lankan government has rented the most beautiful and pristine natural areas for the next 99 years to build hotels, resorts, golf courses, facilities for seaplanes and aero-taxis. Mobilization of Catholics, religious and civil society against the expropriation of lands.

by Dayan Jayatilleke The denunciatory critics of the Rajapaksa Presidency are at total variance with the overwhelming majority of Sri Lankan people, not only on domestic matters but also on Sri Lanka’s external relations. The recent Gallup poll reveals that 9 out of 10 Sri Lankans approve of President Rajapaksa’s leadership; a colossal 91 percent [...]

by Sumanasiri Liyanage In recent times since the end of the armed conflict, media, both print and electronic, has evinced an interest in seemingly petty things and events. In a way, this signifies that we live in a ‘normal’ time. Is there an arsenic content in locally produced rice? Does the petroleum corporation sell diluted [...]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” – Kenyan (Kikuyu) proverb The Emergency is dead. Long live the Emergency Consequential Provisional Bill. Ending the Emergency was a placatory exercise aimed at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council Session in Geneva. Underneath this reforming veneer, the regime seems determined not to [...]

Military, who else, to restore war ravaged areas? By Namini Wijedasa The lapsing of the emergency does not mean ‘anybody can do anything he or she wants’, warned Mohan Pieris, outgoing attorney general, in an exclusive interview with LAKBMIMAnEWS. Excerpts: Has the emergency lapsed and if so what happens to detainees, surrendees and the proscription [...]

By Namini Wijedasa When a country’s cabinet is habitually uninformed, it is no surprise that its citizens also know nothing. In Sri Lanka, governance is carried out on a need-to-know basis: only a coterie at the top needs-to-know. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced in parliament on August 25 that he proposed not to extend the state [...]

By Shihar Aneez Reuters Fact Box INVESTMENT CLIMATE: Post-war investments have picked up, with the first half of 2011 recording $413 million in foreign direct investment, almost double the same period in the previous year. Large investments in ports have come primarily from China, the main actor in Sri Lanka’s post-war redevelopment.

Sri Lankans Back Their Leadership Amid Western Criticism-Less approving of U.S. leadership Sri Lankans’ approval of their president’s job performance likely reflects their happiness to finally have peace in their country and a vision for the rebuilding of their nation by Peter Cynkar WASHINGTON, D.C. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision last week to lift [...]

The US State Dept. Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner during daily briefing on Sept 1st urged Government of Sri Lanka to charge or release prisoners still held in custody after the lapse emergency regulations at the end of August. He also added that the US State Dept. is “looking at the legislation going forward and studying [...]

‘There must be restorative justice, retributive justice is old-fashioned’ Most allegations against Sri Lankan Army ‘nonsense’ by Nirupama Subramanian Sri Lanka can initiate inquiries into allegations that have been levelled against its Army of war crimes in the final stages of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009 only if it [...]

by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha The following was sent to a Sri Lankan media outlet that wanted a comment on the NDTV article given below. It was also sent to the NDTV website but its moderator strangely refused to upload this clarification alongside the innacurate report. I think the report is not to bad, in that [...]

By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo An opposition MP in Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka says many people there are in a state of panic and afraid to go out at night because of the security forces’ behaviour. Reports say the police and army beat up 20 people when taking action against a crowd who [...]

Thousands of disappearances during the civil war remain unexplained Translated from French-International Catholic News Agency The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka in Colombo asked the government to investigate the disappearances of priests and lay Catholics during the Civil War. Despite the completion in May 2009 of the civil war between Sri Lankan forces and the [...]

by Melani Manel Perera The appeal launched for the World Day of the disappeared. The women are asking the government to investigate a case without looking at ethnicity or religion. With 12 thousand missing persons, Sri Lanka is the second country with the highest number of disappearances in the world. “Help us to find our [...]

Reuters, Asia News, BBC, The Economist and Al Jazeera have written on steps reportedly being taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to allow the holding of suspects without any charges. BBC Sandeshaya reports that according to Justice Minister Rauff Hakim, “new laws will be in place with the expiry of similar provisions under the [...]

by Julian Ranetunge A few months previously, my school in the UK advertised that a scholarship would be available for a student to embark on a volunteering programme during the summer holidays. The award was named the ‘Johnny Sutton Memorial Award’, after a recent graduate of the school. Johnny had passed away after contracting a [...]

Writer Arundhati Roy on Tuesday, Aug 30th cast doubts over Anna Hazare’s anti-graft campaign saying the civil society’s Jan Lokpal Bill is a “dangerous piece of legislation”. “I am skeptical about the legislation (Jan Lokpal Bill) itself for a good number of reasons. I think the legislation is a dangerous piece of work,” Ms. Roy [...]

The Madras High Court stayed the execution of the former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins for eight weeks and IBN Live poses the question, ‘Should Rajiv Gandhi’s assassins get clemency’? to Subramanian Swamy-President of Janata Party, Vaiko-Leader of MDMK, Cho Ramaswamy-Editor of Thuglak, D R Karthikeyan-former Director of CBI, R Vaigai, Senior counsel who is representing [...]

by Sumanasiri Liyanage Although some members of the UPFA government indicated vaguely a few months ago that Emergency would be lifted fully at the end of this year, the President’s announcement that he and his government had decided to do so with immediate effect and depend on normal laws to maintain law and order came [...]

By Swaminathan Natarajan BBC News The murder of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in May 1991 stunned India – but it was also a personal tragedy for a young girl who had yet to be born. Haritha Murugan’s parents were arrested days after the murder and convicted of plotting it. She was born to the [...]

Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, R Vaigai and Colin Gonsalves, appearing on behalf of the three convicts, contended that the “inordinate and inexplainable delay” in disposing of their mercy petitions violated Article 21 of the Constitution (Protection of life and personal liberty). Jethmalani later told reporters that the delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy [...]

Full Text of Editorial, The Hindu Preparations have begun at the Vellore Central Prison for hanging Murugan, Santhan, and Perarivalan — convicted for their involvement in the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Jail officials have fixed September 9 as the date for the executions. The mercy petitions of the three were rejected by President Pratibha [...]

The long afterlife of war in teardrop isle by Shyam Tekwani IT IS the first truth of war, however deplorable, that civilians die. The first casualty in war is the civilian. The real victims of war are the civilians. Particularly in civil wars, which are about national survival. In a war zone, they are everywhere, [...]

Indian Newspapers editorialize the announcement by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament last week to lift Emergency regulations The Finishing line: Calcutta Telegraph Two years after its decisive victory against the Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka, the Mahinda Rajapaksa government has announced its intention to allow the state of emergency in the country to lapse.

The Politics of Grief By V. V. Ganeshananthan In the case of September 11 2001, communal loss is – comparatively, at least -well understood. Everyone saw or could see those deaths; they were on the news even as they happened; the broadcast was part of their lasting tragedy. Few perceived denial of the deaths as [...]

By Shihar Aneez COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s foreign minister left on Sunday on a two-week mission to shore up diplomatic support ahead of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting, where the Indian Ocean nation is expecting to face a fight over Western-led pressure for a war crimes probe. External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris is [...]

BBC Sandeshaya US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake’s visit to Sri Lanka has been postponed due to Hurricane Irene, the US embassy in Colombo said. Mr Blake was due to arrive in Colombo on Monday.

The United States Government, through coordination with the Government of Sri Lanka Ministry of Health, will fund the renovation and reconstruction of four hospitals located in the Northern Province. The U.S. Government remains committed to supporting Government of Sri Lanka efforts towards reconstruction and reconciliation in former conflict zones.

by Robert McCrum Michael Ondaatje: The divided man ~ Novelist and poet Michael Ondaatje, who won the Booker prize for The English Patient, draws on his own extraordinary life to conjure up evocative tales of duality and displacement The eyes of Michael Ondaatje, prize-winning author of The English Patient, are a baffling window on the [...]

The Sri Lankan government must follow up its repeal of the state of emergency by removing repressive legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Amnesty International said. Earlier this week, Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to remove the state of emergency that has been in place in the country for nearly three [...]

By Saman Mannikkaarachchi in Ampara People in Panama allege that officials from the Ampara Divisional Secretariat have forcibly taken over 850 acres of land belonging to the Panama villagers. Villagers told this correspondent that the Defence Ministry is reportedly setting up a navy base there and question the validity of setting up such a base [...]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “They should believe us” – Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Interview with India Today) The saga of the ‘Rock of Hambantota’ is of pivotal-importance in understanding the working of the Rajapaksas’ regime. Whenever the UNP, the JVP or the media mentioned the existence of a huge rock blocking the entrance to the Hambantota Port, the [...]

BY A.J.M. Muzammil STATEMENT-A.J.M. Muzammil–Mayoral Candidate for Colombo-United National Party I am deeply humbled and extremely honoured to accept the nomination the United National Party has bestowed on me as its Mayoral candidate. The Colombo Municipal Council has been a bastion of the UNP for generations; thereby proving time and time again that the trust [...]

Bumper paddy production in Sri Lanka’s former conflict areas has averted an expected national rice shortage, experts say. Twin floods in January and February inundated more than 200,000 hectares of paddy land in the eastern and central regions of the island nation, destroying more than 700,000MT of the primary harvest estimated at 2.75 million tons. [...]

The United States says it is sending a top envoy for talks next week (August 29-31, 2011) in Sri Lanka, which faces allegations of human rights violations in its civil war that ended two years ago. A U.S. statement says Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake will meet in Sri Lanka with government and non-governmental [...]

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday lifted strict wartime emergency laws that have drawn criticism from the West and India, saying the advent of peace since the end of civil war in 2009 made them unnecessary.

A 10-member group of school boys from St. Patrick’s College Jaffna, accompanied by their principal Fr. Jero Selvanayagam and teacher Mr. Berty Bannister, returned to Sri Lanka on August 23 after their successful and productive visit to New Delhi, India from 15th – 22nd August and called on Acting High Commissioner Shri Vikram Misri to [...]

by Dushy Ranetunge at Maalu Maalu Pasikudah and Kalkudah are exotic beaches, where you can walk 30 to 50 yards into the sea. Waves are almost non-existent, making the sea look more like a lagoon Its wide sandy beaches have attracted generations of Sri Lankans and the end of the war has once again begun [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Tamil New Year will once again be officially observed in Tamil Nadu in midApril instead of Thai Pongal day in midJanuary as being done now [click here to read in full, on ~ dbsjeyaraj.com]

by Col R Hariharan Sri Lanka is currently rocked by reports of ‘Grease Yakka” (Grease devils) suddenly appearing in rural areas and terrorising villagers. Traditionally a grease yakka is a prowler in the dark who attacks women; he is said to wear only a loin cloth and cover his body with oil to escape capture. [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Hello Friends A disturbing phenomenon in recent times has been the widespread panic in many parts of Sri Lanka about alleged attacks on women by unknown persons posing as devilish monsters. Cartoon on Sri Lankan newspapers about the ‘Grease Devils’ ~ courtesy via: http://twitter.com/DushiYanthini Reports in the media refer to them generally [...]

Soldiers deployed to quell unrest sparked ‘Grease Devils’ By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka on Monday deployed soldiers to quell unrest sparked by a fear of nighttime prowlers known as “Grease Devils”, after at least five died over the past two weeks in a wave of vigilantism and clashes with [...]

via Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, US State Dept. Overview: In 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka announced formally the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. While there were no terrorist incidents within Sri Lanka in 2010, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network [...]

by Mano Sekaram Dear Friends, Having spent many holiday’s of my childhood in Jaffna the trip last week was a particularly nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. After 30 years we drove down the A9, passing the towns Omanthai, Mankulam Murukandi Paranthan Pallai. Kodikamam and Meesalai …these names echo in my memory never forgotten. [...]

by Arundhati Roy If what we’re watching on TV is indeed a revolution, then it has to be one of the more embarrassing and unintelligible ones of recent times. For now, whatever questions you may have about the Jan Lokpal Bill, here are the answers you’re likely to get: tick the box — (a) Vande [...]

By Karim Bardeesy Is Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Canada’s first Tamil MP, the kind of secret weapon her party needs to win over immigrant voters at the ballot box? In her orange blouse and mesh cowboy hat, Rathika Sitsabaiesan cuts a striking swath through the stalls at the 10th annual Scarborough Rotary Ribfest in northeastern Toronto. It’s [...]

By Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez Angry Sri Lankans killed a police officer on Sunday in the latest outbreak of violence sparked by a fear of nocturnal prowlers known popularly as “Grease Devils” that has gripped rural areas in the island nation over the past two weeks. Another officer and five other people were hurt [...]

by Dayan Jayatilleka One of the most cherished axioms of liberal and ‘progressive’ discourse on (and in) Sri Lanka is that of ‘root causes’ of the ethnic question, the need to identify and address them, the notion that the LTTE was but an expression of such unaddressed ‘root causes’, a condemnation of the failure to [...]

By Namini Wijedasa As long as Colombo skirts the issue, India will continue to pressurize the Sri Lankan government to arrive at a negotiated political settlement with the Tamil minority. New Delhi needs for Colombo to find and implement a power-sharing arrangement. It is now increasingly clear that, notwithstanding the parliamentary select committee it intends [...]

by Tisaranee Gunasekara “For both Prabhakaran’s war of national liberation and Rajapaksa’s war for national sovereignty, one unstated motive assumed the greatest significance – the entrenchment of unchallenged personal power”. UTHR-J (Special Report No 34 – 13.12.2009) Sri Lanka is to buy 14 Mi-171 military helicopters from Russia, two+ years after the war was won.

by Frederica Jansz The origin of corruption is when someone thinks power is for him, his family and his henchmen, said former Chief Justice Sarath N. de Silva speaking last week at the launch of the website ‘Voice Against Corruption’ That Sarath Nanda Silva was a Chief Guest at this ceremony is not only ironical [...]

by Dayan Jayatilleka “Seek truth from facts” (Deng Xiaoping) There is an extensive survey of public opinion, the results of which will up-end all conventional assumptions about what the Sri Lankan people think and therefore how they are likely to act or react. This is the Survey on Democracy in Post-War Sri Lanka, Topline Report [...]

by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai Gnanasundaram Kuganathan is a simple man with a sweet smile

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Ten Sri Lankan Tamil political parties may seek solace from agony for two days on August 23rd & 24th in the Indian capital of New Delhi 10 Tamil parties are invited to attend a conference named “Agony & Solace” to be held at New Delhi’s prestigious Constitutional club of India Although titled”Agony [...]

Hello Friends Five years ago on August 20th Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown a Catholic Priest serving in the Jaffna Diocese and Wenceslaus Vimaladhas a Catholic layman went missing in the north. Aug 20th 2006 was a Sunday and Fr.Jim Brown assisted in the morning mass at Kayts.He left Kayts at 12.30 pm on a [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Notorious human smuggler Thirunavukkarasu Balachandran alias “uganda Bala” was arrested by Sri Lankan Police at the Katunayake Airport today The Sri Lankan national was taken into custody at KIA by Police Criminal investigations department(CID)officials as he arrived in Colombo [click here to read in full, on ~~ dbsjeyaraj.com]

by Dr.Noel Nadesan Once again the Tamil leadership is resorting to the old tactic of threatening the Government with demands and deadlines. The latest is the TNA setting conditions for talks with the Government. It has not only put forward three conditions but also insisted that the Government should respond within a period of 10 [...]

By Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu The existing constitution is more than enough for us to live together. I don’t think there is any issue on this more than that. “I mean this was given as a solution for the whole thing with the discussion of these people. I mean now the LTTE is gone, I don’t [...]

By M. Ramesh Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s remarks that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s call for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka were politically motivated, has once again brought the question of sanctions back into public consciousness — unfortunately. Tamil Nadu’s politicians, — the likes of Vaiko, who, though shrewd, are not famous for [...]

by Dushy Ranetunge in Cape Town On 30th July 2011, we flew into Cape Town, from Livingstone (Zambia) via Johannesburg. Since Livingstone to Johannesburg was an International flight and Johannesburg to Cape Town was a domestic flight, we had to collect all our baggage from the Johannesburg international terminal and haul it to the domestic [...]

by Dayan Jayatilleka With the solitary, honourable exception of Sunday Times columnist Lasanda Kurukulasuriya, (‘Give a dog a bad name and hang him’, From the Sidelines, Sunday Times, Colombo, August 14, 2011), the Lankan media and Colombo’s commentariat completely missed the most important intellectual event in civil society in this post-war phase of our contemporary [...]

by Karu Jayasuriya Sri Lanka stands poised at a strange and dangerous juncture of her history, this has now become glaringly apparent to all those of us who live here. There is a serious absence of accountability and transparency in matters of governance that have effectively sidelined the vast majority of the citizens in the [...]

VAVUNIYA, 16 August 2011 (IRIN) – As thousands of students begin uninterrupted schooling after a lapse of years, education officials in Sri Lanka’s former northern conflict zone are facing a shortage of teachers. John Edward Solemn, assistant education director of Vavuniya South, an educational division, said the lack of teachers, especially in rural schools and [...]

By Ashok K. Kantha On the occasion of the 65th Independence Day of India, I extend my greetings and good wishes to my fellow citizens of India and to the people and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Today, as India celebrates its 65th Independence Day, we celebrate our nation’s continuing [...]

Truth and Accountability: The Last Stages of the War in Sri Lanka Godfrey Gunatilleke, one of Sri Lanka’s and South Asia’s most respected intellectuals, a distinguished former civil servant, and founder of the country’s oldest independent think-tank, the MARGA Institute, made a sharply critical evaluation of the UNSG’s advisory Panel Report in an extended analysis [...]

by Padraig Colman For the past couple of weeks, there has been much excitement in our Sri Lankan neighbourhood (near Badulla). For some time there have been rumours about women being attacked. Villagers are convinced that there is a serial killer on the rampage. The elderly ladies, Tewanee and Meenaachi, who work for us have [...]

Two years after defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and eliminating it as a military entity, Sri Lanka is still struggling to emerge from the woods on some important fronts. Two issues are predominant. One is the nature of the peace, and the efforts by the Sri Lankan government towards a political reconciliation between [...]

Two Sri Lankans and an Indian national convicted for the assassination of India’s former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, are facing imminent execution in Vellore prison in Tamil Nadu, India. This follows the rejection of their mercy petitions by the President of India. If carried out, these would be the first executions in India since 2004.

Funeral service in Amsterdam, Thanksgiving service in Colombo on Aug 16th C.Ben Bavinck, affectionately known to generations of students at Jaffna College,Vaddukkoddai as “Bavinck master” has passed away peacefully in Amsterdam,Netherlands on August 11th 2011. His funeral service will take place on Tuesday, August 16th, at 11.30 a.m. in the Muiderkerk, Linnaeusstraat 37, Amsterdam, The [...]

To save his legacy Ban Ki-moon must refresh his top team with people who understand the UN’s founding principles Editorial, Guardian UK, Aug 14, 2011 Seventy years ago today, warships lay anchored in a cove off Newfoundland, Canada. Churchill and Roosevelt set out principles for a post-war world, one of the first steps towards the [...]

Reviewed by Danesh Thirukumaran Peace Tales from Asia, by Chandrani Warnasuriya, a book filled with short stories that can make people change their view on violence and “Build a Culture of Peace”. For one reason, she mentions how peace can be established in more people’s lives to make not only their life better, but others [...]

H.E. Ms. Tamara Kunanayakam presented her credentials to H.E. Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director-General of the United Nations Office in Geneva on the 9th of August 2011, accrediting her as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland.

By Namini Wijedasa The Tamil National Alliance did not stoke hatred in Jaffna during the recent election campaign, insisted TNA leader R. Sampanthan last week. They merely told people the truth about what the government was doing. Excerpts: Is the outcome of the recent local government election in Jaffna more an endorsement of the TNA [...]

by Tissa Jayatilaka Given the shrillness of the nature of public debate in recent times, especially postwar, most Sri Lankans I know have avoided getting involved in them. The latter have resorted to ‘quiet discussion’ with fellow citizens who are not uncomfortable with points of view that are not in harmony with their own and [...]

By Namini Wijedasa Professor of Electrical Engineering, Ratnajeevan Hoole, University Grants Commission coordinator for engineering, Jaffna University , fled the country last week after the EPDP leader, Douglas Devananda initiated legal proceedings against him. He granted an interview to LAKBIMAnEWS from his temporary base in London . Excerpts: What were the circumstances of your leaving? [...]

By Patali Champika Ranawaka Minister of Power & Energy It is true that a power crisis has emerged. This information is given to the general public by the people with knowledge, people without knowledge as well as the people who wish to distort the truth. People get confused and worried with the wrong understanding of [...]

By Nimal Sanderatne The Sri Lankan economy has functioned with only part of its potential capacity for the good part of its last three decades. Although some economic activities prevailed despite the war, most of the region was a battle zone rather than a thriving economy. This applied to all three sectors of the northern [...]

by Tisaranee Gunasekara “The talk of political solution is irrelevant” Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (Interview with India Today) Watching or reading an interview with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is a rewarding experience. The Defence Secretary often says outright, usually in very blunt language, what his brothers try to conceal.

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Now that they are on the last lap of the war and the LTTE had taken their position in the midst of the innocent people, using them as human shields, the casualty rate has increased many fold… We can’t expect the LTTE to conform to any norms but the forces can… The [...]

By S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole As I enjoy a well-deserved rest in London, having fled there because of harassment and threat of arrest, TamilNet has issued a description of my travails with inaccuracies and the claim that I have fallen out with the President.

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj The demise of Shelton Ranaraja on August 11th 2011 takes away from Sri Lanka a distinguished member of a dwindling species –Principled political leaders. The former MP for Senkadagala and deputy minister for Justice was a courageous politician with enlightened principles. It is indeed a rare politician who is prepared to stand [...]

by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Speech in Parliament of Prof Rajiva Wijesinha MP on the debate on the extension of the State of Emergency, August 9, 2011 Hon. Deputy Chairman of Committees, In supporting the extension of the State of Emergency for another month, I would like, if possible, to introduce some conceptual issues. I have [...]

by G.L. Peiris The Keynote Address delivered by External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris on August 1, 2011 at the launch of the report compiled by the Defence Ministry entitled ‘Humanitarian Operation – Factual Analysis’ in Colombo Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, in his address, referred to ‘an unexplored agenda’ on the part of our [...]

by M.A. Sumanthiran The Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, brother of His Excellency the President and an important policy-maker in the Government, has been quoted in the “Headlines Today” (Daily Mirror, Wednesday, August 10th, 2011, Page 4), that there was little scope of going beyond the current levels of devolution. He has further stated that the [...]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj Sri Lanka Tamil issue likely to be raised in India’s Upper&Lower houses of Parliament&Tamil Nadu legislative assembly today August 11th 2011. Tamil Nadu politicians in well-coordinated moves plan to raise the Sri LankanTamil issue in the central&state legislatures simultaneously. [click here to read in full~ on dbsjeyaraj.com]

The Minister of Agrarian Services and Wildlife S. N. Chandrasena stated that 300 tuskers and elephant calves suitable for carrying caskets in peraheras will be identified during the elephant census which is due to commence on 11th August and will be captured and domesticated, during a press conference at his home on 6th August. With [...]

By Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu The collapse of the Government –TNA talks has an air of inevitability about it for no other reason than the central one of the seriousness and commitment of the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime towards a political settlement, its rhetoric notwithstanding. We are back to the APRC, albeit by another name and back perhaps, [...]