Monthly Archives: December 2012

Dayan sends loaded message to Sri Lankan bureaucrats and politicians in farewell speech

“This event is the commencement of my process of transition. I have begun my farewell with
this gathering of friends from the Sri Lankan community in Paris because my wife Sanja and I
shall be leaving France, somewhere early in the New Year in January. My two year term has come to an end or will come […]

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka | Published on December 4, 2012 at 10:15 pm

3R Project to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle successfully launched in Samagipura, Ratnapura

Rainforest Protectors of Sri Lanka volunteers together with Ratnapura UC and PHI’s, successfully launched a 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) project in Samagipura village, Ratnapura on Saturday November 17. One hundred families were picked up for this initial project with each family receiving four labeled large Polysack bags for collecting Plastics, Paper, Glass and Metal for […]

By | Published on December 4, 2012 at 9:28 pm

The unmet task of the political opposition

Determined to impeach
The government appears determined to go ahead with the impeachment of the Chief Justice. So
far the attempts to broker a mutually acceptable solution have not yielded success. Not even the messages sent by the highest religious dignitaries or their joint statements have had their desired impact. There have also been civil society initiatives […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on December 3, 2012 at 4:15 am

Sri Lanka: Patriotism for the Rajapaksas is a means to an end

“…..to not to be a fanatic means to be, to some extent and in some way, a traitor in the eyes of the fanatic”– Amos Oz (How to cure a fanatic)
Removing a Nail in the Tiger’s Coffin, on VP’s Birthday

What if after the defeat of the JVP insurgency, the Premadasa administration prevented Sinhala families from […]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara | Published on December 3, 2012 at 3:44 am

Deportation no deterrent to Sri Lankans

AUSTRALIA’S promise to rapidly deport failed asylum seekers to Sri Lanka is failing to deter people from boarding boats, with some even considering trying again after being sent home.
700 asylum seekerrs deported
Some 700 Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been deported by Australia, nearly 600 of them against their will. But more than 6000 have […]

By Ben Doherty | Published on December 2, 2012 at 11:54 pm

Separatist dreams: Just hot air and hurt feelings

Violent movements
In other parts of the world, separatist movements are usually violent (e.g. Kashmir, Sri Lanka,
the various Kurdish revolts) and they sometimes succeed (South Sudan, Eritrea, East Timor). Whereas in the prosperous, democratic countries of the West, they are generally peaceful, frivolous, and unsuccessful.
Pipe dreams in the West
A case in point is the […]

By Gwynne Dyer | Published on December 2, 2012 at 11:33 pm

“We must realize the importance of developing coherent policies”

I had been asked to speak on the votes of the Ministry of External Affairs
during the Committee Stage of the Budget Debate, but was subsequently told that there was no time for this. Since I had prepared a text, which I felt discussed urgent issues in the current context, I thought it would be useful […]

By Rajiva Wijesinghe | Published on December 2, 2012 at 11:27 pm