Monthly Archives: August 2013

Killing fields of Weliweriya -not the first and won’t be the last

“The object of terrorism is terrorism. The object of oppression is oppression. The object of torture is torture. The object of murder is murder. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?”
― George Orwell,
Government sponsored intimidation
In my column on Sunday, October 14, 2012 I commenced thus: “Government-sponsored intimidation of […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on August 21, 2013 at 11:50 pm

Planned attack on unarmed protesters by Sri Lanka’s army in Weliweriya: Crowd control or murder?

Gagging the media
The full extent of the outrage committed in Weliweriya unfolds slowly but surely, in spite of crude attempts to gag the
media. Grisly details continue to emerge from the countless testimonies of the bereaved, the assault victims, their relatives and the rest of the community. It’s unlikely that dozens of village people would […]

By | Published on August 21, 2013 at 11:26 pm

Divisive role of religion grows despite Buddhist teachings

The most likely point of new inter-community conflict at the present time is between those who espouse nationalist Buddhism and the Muslim community. Although not widely reported, the attacks against Muslim places of worship and Muslim owned businesses are continuing. In a six month period from January to June this year, at least 155 anti-Muslim […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on August 5, 2013 at 8:26 pm

Bullets for Water: Militarization comes home to the Sinhala Buddhist nation

“We asked for water tanks; they sent army tanks”
A woman resident of Weliveriya (BBC – 3.8.2013)
They had every reason to feel confident and safe, to expect consideration and justice.
They were almost exclusively Sinhalese and predominantly Buddhist. They would
have supported the military wholeheartedly (quite a few would have kith/kin in uniform) and rejoiced in the […]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara | Published on August 4, 2013 at 12:37 pm

Governance, legitimacy and the ethics of violence

The ancient Chinese, most notably Confucius, used to call it The Mandate of Heaven. Rulers may rule successfully only so long as they respect and enjoy the Mandate of Heaven.
The last war started when the terrorist Tigers deprived Sinhala farmers of water by shutting off the supply at Maavilaru. The war came home to the […]

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka | Published on August 4, 2013 at 3:15 am

SRI LANKA: Army blamed for death of Weliweriya unarmed protester and firing live bullets into crowd

Our correspondent in Weliweriya and Rathupaswala
“When the army started firing, most of us ran to St Anthony’s Church, Weliweriya. The army then followed us to the church and started firing live ammunition that injured many. Then they threatened the people to kneel down on the church grounds and started assaulting with bicycle chains, clubs and […]

By Staff Correspondent | Published on August 3, 2013 at 1:27 pm

SRI LANKA: Lawyers appalled at killing peaceful protesters, urges government to control its armed forces

Responding to the brutal attack by the armed forces on Thursday (1st August) at Weliweriya, killing and injuring unarmed civilians demanding uncontaminated water, the Lawyers Collective strongly condemns the Government’s continuous ferocity against peaceful protesters. The Government has displayed total disrespect to the constitutional guarantees on civil liberties of its own citizens. Evidence clearly establishes […]

By Lawyers Collective | Published on August 3, 2013 at 10:33 am

Sajith speaks out…is it too little, too late now?

“Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them.”
~Joseph Story
Diehards
In the immediate aftermath of the defection of the Kurunegala […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on August 2, 2013 at 10:38 pm

The Jekylls and Hydes of Religions

“Imagine a garden with a hundred kinds of trees, a thousand kinds of flowers, a hundred kinds of fruit and vegetables. Suppose, then, that the gardener….knew no other distinction than between edible and inedible, nine tenth of this garden would be useless to him. He would pull up the most enchanting flowers and hew down […]

By Tisaranee Gunasekara | Published on August 2, 2013 at 10:23 pm

Black Thursday 2013: Gunned down for peacefully protesting against water pollution

Assault rifles and flak jackets vs stones and slippers
Who deployed troops, clad in flak jackets (body armour) and armed with T-56 assault rifles to confront and disperse
a crowd of protestors blocking a highway? Who was the ultimate decision-maker? The protestors were not armed, certainly not with lethal weapons. Therefore, no real harm could have come […]

By Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka | Published on August 2, 2013 at 10:14 pm