Alan Keenan, in Sri Lanka Mirror, April 2019, where the title runs “Sri Lanka is a ‘nation favourable to the Sinhala Buddhist majority’ –ICG,”
After ten years since the end of the war, Sri Lanka being a country that favours the Sinhala Buddhist majority is detrimental to its progress, an NGO head has warned. The Project Director of International Crisis Group (ICG) Alan Keenan made this statement to the Tamil media after a tour of the North Eastern province and border villages.
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Gerald H Peiris. Island, 3 April 2018,where the title is “The Pursuit of Scholarly Excellence: Professor Kingsley M. de Silva’s Impact on University Education”
“Honour whom honour is due” (Epistle to the Romans, Holy Bible)
Professor Kingsley de Silva resigned from the academic staff of the University of Peradeniya in 1995. That premature retirement must have been a painful termination of a cherished institutional link, made in the context of those in charge of university affairs at that time making it difficult for him to continue in university service without jeopardising his research commitments.
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Michael Roberts
TAMIL PERSON and STATE. PICTORIAL appeared in 2014 in Colombo under the imprint of Vijitha Yapa Publications. …. ISBN 978-955-665-231-4. The biliography probably covers most of the articles in the companion piece, TAMIL PERSON and STATE. ESSAYS; but it is possible that there are other bibliographical items listed at the end of each article in ESSAYS. Though new material on Eelam War IV continues to turn up all the time, my present research led me to consult the works listed in these volumes and reminded me of material I had forgotten about. I believe that assiduous readers and investigators will find it useful to have the listing at their digital fingertips: hence its reproduction here.
ALSO SEE
* http://thuppahis.com/2014/09/15/tamil-person-and-state-pictorial-images-listed/
* http://thuppahis.com/2014/09/14/tamil-person-and-state-essays/
Pic 50 in TPS. Pictorial –presenting senior LTTE commanders –probably circa 2003/05. Continue reading
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An Item from India, entitled ” Smart and Grateful daughter”
“The girl pulling rickshaw☠is the current IAS topper in IAS exams (IAS = Indian Administrative Service) …. *Man sitting behind is her father who normally pulls this rickshaw…. . She did so to publicly acknowledge her gratitude towards her father for her achievement. The daughter who became IAS topper, honours her father by taking him around the streets for everyone to see the rickshaw (and the puller) which enabled her to realize her dream.
Victor Ivan, in Ravaya, where the title is “Barring of Nagananda Kodituwakku from Practicing Law”
The Supreme Court has issued an order barring Nagananda Kodithuwakku , Attorneyat-Law and Public Interest Litigation Activist who has entered the political arena of Sri Lanka as a prospective presidential candidate, from practicing as a lawyer for three years. I think it is important that we assess Kodithuwakku’s role in the light of this incident.
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Rajeewa Jayaweera, in Sunday Island, 30 March 2019, with this title “Games before UNHRC Resolution a last-minute bipartisan consensus” … with highlighting being additions by The Editor, Thuppahi.
Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana and members of his delegation deserve a big round of applause for their efforts during the recent 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva to undo some of the past mistakes of the Yahapalana government. It had unreservedly co-sponsoring the UN Human Rights Council Resolution (UNHRC) 30/1 inclusive of parts inimical to the nation’s sovereignty.
Unknown to many, this round of the Geneva project took off the ground during the visit to Sri Lanka by Mark Field MP, UK Minister for Asia & Pacific at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office in October 2018. UK had taken over the lead role from the US in furthering the Geneva Resolution. Field informed the Wickremasinghe government, it should agree to a roll-over resolution without any opposition.
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A Note from a Sinhalese Friend in Canada: “Hello Michael, I have attached a video of a former Bishop of Kurunegala talking to a Adaderana TV interviewer- a Sinhala Broadcast.on March 12, 2019.The former Bishop is a Sri Lankan, by birth an ”Estate Tamil” Christian. He talks of a secret meeting with Ban Ki-Moon in 2011 and also about chats with another Lankan Leader who was very anti-Sri Lankan!! This interview is very, very interesting: apparently the Bishop resigned from his position as a Bishop due to the anti-SL stand taken by the church. The former Bishop is very pro SL in his views.”
Note 2: Shantha Francis was appointed anAnglican Bishop in 2010 and then on 6 January 2015 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, announced that Francis had resigned as Bishop of Kurunegala. In a statement by Francis he advised that he had been threatened by Tamil diaspora groups opposing his stand for a unitary state and the sovereignty of the country” — from Wikipedia …. So my Canadian friend’s final note is in error. Continue reading
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Daya Gamage in Asian Tribune, 28 March 2019, where the title is different = “U.S. official document clears Sri Lanka of civilian deaths”
Instead of agreeing to collaborate with the United Kingdom to adopt Resolution 40/1 in March – an extension of October 2015 30/1 Resolution which imposed on Sri Lanka a mechanism of ‘hybrid court investigation’ to ascertain the truth about civilian casualties during the Eelam War (2006-2009) IV – Sri Lankan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Marapona, following the impressive official statement rejecting the ‘hybrid mechanism’, among others, should have followed the example set by the United States, not leaving the UNHRC process altogether but dissociated with the mechanism set forth under the 30/1 Resolution.
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Item on 28 March 2019, entitled “Alternative Avenues” … with highlighting emphasis by The Editor, Thuppahi
For almost a decade, Tamil victims have looked to the UN Human Rights Council in their pursuit of justice. However, after years of resolutions followed by an extension, alongside lack of any progress on accountability, events at Geneva this week brought another deep disappointment. A day after the Sri Lankan government expressly told the Council it had no intention of creating an accountability mechanism with foreign judges as originally promised, yet another resolution was passed giving Colombo two more years to do just that. Sri Lanka’s foreign minister was blunt. Sri Lanka will not allow an international justice mechanism. The international community can be under no more illusions. If Sri Lanka cannot deliver the justice that victims demand, then other avenues must be explored. Else, as the UN human rights chief herself warned, further violence and instability will follow.
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Charles Sarvan, courtesy of Colombo Telegraph, 19 March 2019, where the title is “ On ‘Reading’ A Picture” …. Note that I have taken the liberty of inserting emphasis in colour and introducing more paragraph divisions in Charlie Sarvan aka Ponnadurai’s presentation in order to assist readability and analytical work –though this act may well distort his philosophical bent…… Bio-data is at the end of the article Editor, Thuppahi
“The saying that a picture is worth a thousand words refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single picture.” This particular picture appeared in ‘Colombo Telegraph’ on 12 Feb. 2019; I shared my reaction privately with some of my contacts including, as a courtesy, Colombo Telegraph Editor who suggested that I rework the material with the possibility of it being uploaded. Unsatisfactory health has hindered an earlier response. In philosophy, an ‘essential’ is a quality that something must have for it to be what it is, while an ‘accidental’ is one that it happens to have but could lack. In what follows, that the men in uniform are Sinhalese and the prisoners Tamil is accidental. In other words, what I attempt here is a modest, general investigation and reflection.
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