Category Archives: sri lankan society

September 8, 2018 · 11:59 pm

Breaching the Presidential Portals of a Venerable Learned Society: Hema Goonatilake in the RAS

Darshanie Ratnawalli, in Daily Mirror,  August 2018, with the title “Royal Asiatic Society (SL) needs women and diversity” … with highlighting being the work of The Editor, Thuppahi

If having a female at the helm is a sign of modernity in an organization, the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka (RASSL) was dragged into modernity in 2015. So late? I can hear you exclaiming incredulously — after all by 2015 the RASSL was 170 years old.

Yet it is true. The society fell into line with its more modern peer societies only when Dr. Hema Goonatilake made her successful bid for the presidency in 2015, amidst an unedifying display of kicking and screaming by a section of its membership.

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September 8, 2018 · 2:12 am

Dayan Jayatilleka in His Element

Dayan accepts his ambassadorial appointment with Sanja, his companion-in-arms, in support in the left background  … and acknowledges his father as inspirational force by a typical essay at this momentous moment

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September 8, 2018 · 12:14 am

Sri Lanka at Hub of Indian Ocean Rim Association

Editor, News-in-Asia,  7 September 2018, where the title reads “Terms of Reference for setting up Indian Ocean Rim Association Working Group on Maritime Security finalized”

The member States of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) met in Colombo on  September 4 and 5 and finalized the Terms of Reference (ToR) to set up a  Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security. At the 17th Council of Ministers held in Durban, South Africa in 2017, it was decided that Sri Lanka will coordinate the implementation of the IORA Action Plan 2017-2021 on Maritime Safety and Security that includes, amongst others, the establishment of the Working Group on Maritime Safety and Security.

 Map showing the Indian Ocean Rim Association states in dark green and the Dialogue Partners in light green; Source Wikipedia

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September 6, 2018 · 7:55 am

Pirapāharan’s Thamilīlam, 1990-2009: Aspirations and Achievements

Michael Roberts, courtesy of Daily Mirror, 6 September 2018. where the title reads “The State of Tamil Eelam, 1990-2009″

This article is the second of those preparing the ground for a review of the new data on the last phase of Eelam War IV served up by access to the despatches of British Defence Attache Lt. Col. Gash (the first being my analysis of Pirapāharan’s strategy of assassinations). It concentrates on the character of the state of Thamilīlam­ throughout its period of existence, viz. from 1990-2009. It by-passes the pre-history when the Tamil New Tigers-become-LTTE was an incipient insurgent force competing with other Tamil militant organisations and with the GoSL and/or the IPKF for control of terrain.

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September 4, 2018 · 4:44 am

Tourism in East to receive A Boost

Item in Daily  News. 3 September 2018

Batticaloa and the adjoining areas which were devastated by war and the tsunami will gain a major economic transformation when internal air flights are started soon linking Colombo Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Sigiriya and Palali. “This will be a major boost to the tourist industry in particular, which will provide ample job opportunities and income avenues to the people,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

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September 4, 2018 · 1:42 am

Taraki’s Strategic Assessments, 2004-05: Some Selections

ONE: “LTTE develops asymmetric deterrence to stall foreign intervention,” 22 May 2004, in http://tamilnation.co/forum/sivaram/040522.htm ….AND Daily Mirror, 22 May 2004

The LTTE’s scenario planning for negotiating the Internal Self Governing Authority (ISGA) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) would necessarily include, among other things, some clearly thought out exit strategies if talks were to drag on aimlessly beyond ‘a reasonable period of time’. This is only natural because President Kumaratunga’s chief coalition partner, the JVP, went on record this week that it does not agree with the basis on which she has agreed to restart and take forward the talks with the LTTE. (Wimal Weerawansa’s interview with The Island on Monday and Somawansa’s meeting with the Prime Minister on Thursday). Continue reading →

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September 4, 2018 · 12:54 am

More Investments in the North Envisaged

Editor, News-in-Asia, 3 September 2018, with the title is as fololws  “Sri Lanka to set up more investments in north to create more jobs”

Sri Lanka to set up more investments in north to create more jobs

Colombo, Sept 3 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s  state run Board of Investment (BOI), that oversees all foreign direct investment into the country, on Monday said 14 new projects would be implemented in the island’s former war torn north in order to strengthen the island’s economy and boost employment.

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September 1, 2018 · 1:16 pm

Missing Persons: Q and A with Mirak Raheem

Chathusika Wijesinghe, Daily Mirror, August 2018: “Interview with one of the commissioners of OMP Mirak Raheem who touches on challenges this institute faces and the way forward with regard to serving families whose members have gone missing”

The Office on the Missing Persons (OMP) was established by the Government of Sri Lanka in order to end the suffering of victims and their families. Mirak Raheem, one of the commissioners of OMP, in an interview with the Dailymirror said that OMP possesses significant power and that it is open to the advice of others. However, he said that the number one challenge the council faces is the lack of trust people have in this organisation. Raheem also noted that the OMP will be releasing an interim report. Following are excerpts of the interview.    Continue reading →

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August 31, 2018 · 12:28 am

Nillanthan Maha steps out: Essays in Sinhala on the Sinhala-Tamil Interface

Nillanthan Maha, translated by Jivendran Nadarajah & Athula Vithanage… and courtesy of IDSLANKA.ORG

ONE =නිලාන්දන්: තිස් පස් වසක් රක්නා කළු ජූලියේ උරුමය කුමක්ද?

TWO =නිලාන්දන්: නයාරු ධීවර ගැටුම පිටුපස විජයෝන්මාදයේ සෙවණැලි

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August 29, 2018 · 4:08 am

Presidency Stakes: A Constitutional Knot that is Gordian as Gordian can be

Neville Ladduwahetty,in The Island, 29 August 2018, where the title runs “Interpreting the 19th Amendment”

The hot topic in town is whether former twice elected Presidents Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa are qualified to seek reelection under provisions of the 19th Amendment. Dr. Nihal Jayawickrama in a legally well analyzed article titled “Disqualifying Twice Elected Presidents – A Failed Endeavour” (Sunday Island, August 19, 2018) argues that since Parliament did not provide in the 19th Amendment, a disqualification that would apply retrospectively former twice elected Presidents are not disqualified from seeking reelection.

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