Category Archives: social justice

September 24, 2022 · 1:45 am

Deeply Wounded. Also Divided? Sri Lanka Today

Neloufer De Mel, in History Today, Vol 72/8, September 2022, where the title reads “Sri Lanka’s Deep Wounds” **

On 31 March 2022 a public protest occurred in the vicinity of the home of the Sri Lankan president Gotabhaya Rajapakse. The protest marked frustration at the shortages of essential commodities (gas, medicines, fuel) and the gruelling ten-to-13-hour power cuts imposed by a cash-strapped government with insufficient dollars to pay for imported fuel. The protestors also sought answers as to why certain neighbourhoods (such as Mirihana, where the president lived) continued to enjoy uninterrupted power.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, debt restructuring, democratic measures, discrimination, disparagement, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, island economy, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, Muslims in Lanka, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, working class conditions, world events & processes

September 15, 2022 · 12:22 am

In Appreciation of Professor Riaz Hassan: Two Accolades as Vale

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE …. Joanne Barker: A Memory about RIAZ HASSAN

From 1992-2006 I worked at Flinders University in various positions, finally leaving in 2006 as the faculty general manager of one of the four faculties. In around 1993-4 when I was still in my early 30s and quite new at the university, I came to know Riaz Hassan as one of the professors. He probably didn’t know my name, but he was always kind and smiled and said hello if we passed on campus.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, Australian culture, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Islamic fundamentalism, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, martyrdom, modernity & modernization, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, psychological urges, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, social justice, suicide bombing, teaching profession, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

August 22, 2022 · 7:44 pm

Standing Firm: Authoritarian Forms of Governance challenged by Sri Lankan Professionals

Item in Colombo Telegraph, 19 August 2022, where the title is as follows … “Saying no to Authoritarian Governance”

We the undersigned individuals from academia, the professions, the corporate sector, the clergy, and civil society organisations, join all those citizens and groups in condemning the abduction, arrest, detention without due process, and other acts of abusive Presidential and State authority committed against persons who participated in the Aragalaya Peoples’ Movement. We condemn the acts of violence that occurred during this time.  However, we reject the narrative that the Aragalaya was responsible for the violence and that it has been transformed into a “fascist,” “anarchist,” “terrorist,” group, that has destroyed State and private property, and is determined to destabilise our country. 

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, democratic measures, disparagement, education, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, social justice, sri lankan society, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, world events & processes

August 20, 2022 · 9:13 pm

Wickremasinghe: President & Strongman? Reprehensible Acts

Andrew Fidel Fernando, in The Indian Express,  18 August 2022, where the title reads thus “New Sri Lankan president is focused on protecting upper-class interests” … with highlighting here being impositions from The editor Thuppahi

As if acting out the first half-page of a “How to be a Despot” pocketbook, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has spent his first weeks in Sri Lanka’s highest office beating down and rounding up protesters, while the nation continues to gasp for its barest necessities.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under accountability, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, disparagement, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, island economy, legal issues, life stories, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people, vengeance, world events & processes

August 9, 2022 · 9:33 pm

Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel

Jordan Baker “Charming and unapologetic: Sydney’s Anglican archbishop isn’t afraid to be out of step with the times”

Kanishka Raffel’s election as Archbishop of Sydney broke the mould. His predecessors are all of European descent; his heritage is Sri Lankan. Many of those who went before him were sons of Sydney’s Anglican dynasties, and attended its sandstone schools; he moved to Australia as a boy and went to Carlingford High.
 Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel was born a Buddhist. CREDIT:LOUIE DOUVIS

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under accountability, Australian culture, australian media, Buddhism, cultural transmission, education, ethnicity, heritage, life stories, meditations, performance, pilgrimages, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, social justice, tolerance, travelogue, unusual people, world events & processes

August 8, 2022 · 7:20 pm

Facing Vengeance & Hate: Some Internet Expositions

Pirapaharan with automatic weapon & Kittu & Prabha in relaxed mood in camp

*  Michael Roberts: “Addressing Two Angry Tamils,” 9 March 2012, https://thuppahis.com/2012/03/09/addressing-two-angry-tamils-heat-distortion-truth-fact-mendacity-and-eternal-enmity/

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, atrocities, communal relations, disparagement, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes, zealotry

August 5, 2022 · 9:12 pm

Protected Government Killers: The Trincomalee Shootings of 2 January 2006

Rajan Hoole and Kopalasingam Sritharan, in Colombo Telegraph,  27 July 2022, …. where the title runs thus “Impunity in times of uncertainty – Part IV: Kapila Jayasekera: Killer-in-chief in both ACF and Five Students Cases”

As we have previously pointed out, one of the hazards of tracing killer operations is that lines of responsibility have been deliberately fuddled. Kapila Jayasekere in particular has spent considerable energy covering his racist and murderous tracks, setting a dangerous example to the men under him.

Regarding the Trinco Five case: In August 2008, SP Operations Kapila Jayasekere tried to refute Dr. Manoharan’s testimony that on 2nd Jan 2006 Jayasekere was already at the scene in his pickup when the shooting of the 5 students in Trincomalee took place at 7.35 PM. In his effort to cover his tracks, Jayasekere made claims before the Commission of Inquiry that were fatal to his denial. The same trend is evident in the ACF case. Jayasekera told the Commission in the Five Students case that he picked up ASP Serasinghe in his vehicle and reached the scene of crime at 8.20 PM.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, anti-racism, atrocities, authoritarian regimes, chauvinism, conspiracies, disparagement, doctoring evidence, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, life stories, politIcal discourse, racism, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, war crimes, world events & processes, zealotry

August 4, 2022 · 1:36 am

“Be the Change” — An Appraissal of THE ARAGALAYA

Anonymous Pen **

Most people that I know, came to Galle Face on a weekend, waved the National Flag and shouted a few catchy slogans to cleanse their souls, took selfies and went home for a warm shower, had dinner and went to sleep, thinking that they had taken part in some heroic and historic act of Aragalaya.

 

 

 

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, democratic measures, disparagement, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, life stories, meditations, patriotism, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, tolerance, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, vengeance, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions

August 1, 2022 · 8:10 pm

University Federation of Dons condemn Sri Lankan Government’s Actions

Item in The Island, 1 August 2022, where the title runs thus “Dons Condemn Suppression of Aragalaya”

“Tyrannical governments and illegitimate leaders throughout history have led their societies to destruction”

The Federation of University Teachers (FUTA) says that the Wickremasinghe-Rajapaksa government lacks any legitimacy and it should stop taking cover behind the Constitution.In a statement condemning what it termed as “repression of aragalaya activists by the current regime” the university teachers have said that “the tyrannical governments and illegitimate leaders throughout history have led their societies to destruction.”

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, democratic measures, disparagement, education policy, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, patriotism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, self-reflexivity, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people

July 29, 2022 · 8:24 pm

From Banda to Gota

Laleen Jayamanne, in The Island, 20 & 27 July 2022 where the title runs thus: “Teargas cinema and Rukmani Devi”

“I have never found anything to excite the people in quite the way this language issue does”–– Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike to a journalist.

If true, this observation attributed to Prime Minister SWRD Bandaranaike, is quite chilling in its cynicism. ‘Excitement’ is a political emotion here and SWRD appears to take a distance from it, observing somewhat clinically, how ‘this language issue’ stirs up ‘the people’. Politicians are especially crafty, cunning, when they know how to excite people with ideas that they themselves may or may not truly believe in.

A protester covering the eyes of the Bandaranaike statue at Galle Face

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, anti-racism, art & allure bewitching, centre-periphery relations, citizen journalism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, economic processes, education policy, electoral structures, ethnicity, governance, historical interpretation, insurrections, island economy, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, modernity & modernization, nationalism, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom, Rajapaksa regime, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, trauma, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, world events & processes