Monthly Archives: February 2012

Lost Opportunity: LLRC implementation could have started on Independence Day

“It is unlikely that in making his overstatement on development that the President was seeking to downplay the achievements of the past by his illustrious predecessors in the governance of the country. In the 1950s there was the Gal Oya development scheme that opened up the vast territories of thick jungle land in the east […]

By Dr. Jehan Perera | Published on February 7, 2012 at 5:53 am

Can Sri Lanka’s government implement the LLRC recommendations?

Can the LLRC recommendations be implemented? This is the question of the day. This is raised nationally and internationally and answers contrast for different reasons. In this article, I endeavor to briefly answer this question from a governance perspective, keeping in mind the present socio-political realities in Sri Lanka.
Bloody ethnic conflict
The President appointed the Commission […]

By JC Weliamuna | Published on February 7, 2012 at 5:37 am

Mr. Minister, my name is Sunanda Deshapriya, I am not a terrorist.

An Open Letter to Minister Keheliya Rambukwella
Mr. Minister, I don’t know whether you have seen the film called ‘my name is Khan. In it, the main character played by popular actor Shah Rukh Khan repeats the
lines ‘My name is Khan. I am not a terrorist’ at different points in the film, in order to affirm […]

By Sunanda Deshapriya | Published on February 6, 2012 at 6:40 am

Plaintiffs file opposition to suggestion of immunity in war crimes case against Rajapakse

WASHINGTON DC: Plaintiffs in the War crimes case against Sri Lanka’s President Rajapakse on Friday (February 3) filed a memorandum of opposition to the suggestion of immunity by the United States of America and requested for oral argument on the matter.
The Plaintiffs through their attorney Bruce Fein submitted that the Torture Victims Protection Act is […]

By Sonali Samarasinghe Wickrematunge | Published on February 5, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Where was Tamil Civil Society when TNA was divided by narrow minded politicians

“Secondly a public memo by Tamil Civil Society to the TNA appears to be “closing the stable door after the horse has bolted”. We should acknowledge that the memo to the TNA is well written, but where was this Tamil Civil Society when TNA was intentionally divided by narrow minded politicians. Do they realise how […]

By S.V. Kirubaharan | Published on February 5, 2012 at 4:00 am

What does the US know about alleged Sri Lankan war crimes?

The extrajudicial killing of civilians, surrendering soldiers and dissident journalists under the direction of the Sri Lankan government has been alleged by a former general in the Army who was extremely well-placed to comment on military activity during the island nation’s bloody civil war.
The source, whose name is withheld for reasons of safety, had high-level […]

By Emanuel Stoakes | Published on February 4, 2012 at 4:35 am

SRI LANKA: Independence without justice

3 February 2012: The 64th commemoration of Sri Lanka’s independence takes place tomorrow (February 4, 2012)at the time when the country’s justice system is in a hopeless crisis. The abuse of the judicial process for political reasons has created doubts about the independence of the judiciary itself. The government shows no will to respect the rule […]

By Asian Human Rights Commission | Published on February 4, 2012 at 1:01 am

Premadasa Exceptionalism and challenges it currently faces…

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Public chose Premadasa
A study of the evolution of leadership in the political parties in Sri Lanka would reveal one singular fact. From D S Senanayake to […]

By Vishnuguptha | Published on February 4, 2012 at 12:48 am

Hey Man, Got a minute? I would like to talk to you

Hey, MAN! Yup you. Got a minute? Because I would like to talk to you. Yup, to you.
Because you whistled out a love song in my honour from your guard-post on Bauddhaloka Mawatha as I was hopping out of a tuk-tuk to get into work this morning. You were on duty. You and I are […]

By D.F | Published on February 4, 2012 at 12:10 am

From Sarath Fonseka to accountability: on those who capitalise from afar

“There has been, for instance, an influx of asylum applicants in Paris since the Sarath Fonseka affair. A number of individuals, some surely with next to no connections to Mr Fonseka, have successfully sold his name to gain their political asylum in France……..”
“By no means does this imply that those who really need and deserve […]

By Deneth Thilakasiri | Published on February 3, 2012 at 11:43 pm