Category Archives: women in ethnic conflcits

Remembering Sunila Abeysekera

An INFORM Item … https://www.inform.lk/sunila-abeysekara/

Sunila, a founder member of INFORM, exemplified how the global and local intersect. For over 40 years, she worked for justice and redress for human rights abuses in Sri Lanka during a time of great challenge and conflicts. Her work placed a special emphasis on gender, human rights and peace building, which included documenting the impact of conflict on civilians, introducing nonviolent strategies of conflict transformation and challenging impunity to hold perpetrators accountable. Hers was a holistic vision that addressed many issues, ranging from violence against women to sexual and reproductive rights, including the rights of communities, such as sex workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, and lesbian, gay, and transgender people. She also nurtured and supported countless women and men of all ages the world over, inspiring many, both directly and by example, to challenge abusive authority at the local, national and international levels.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under asylum-seekers, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, education, female empowerment, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, life stories, politIcal discourse, press freedom & censorship, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, working class conditions, world events & processes

Extremist Fervour as Roadblock for Reconciliation: A High Profile Example from the Galle-Lit-Fest

RK Radhakrishnan, in The Hindu, 2011 (?)https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/reconciliation-elusive-on-the-ground/article6164031.ece

The packed hall at the Galle Literary Festival was stunned into silence by a series of abuses hurled on a Sri Lankan human rights activist by a member in the audience. The hurler of abuses, a well-known journalist, questioned the activist’s patriotism, labelled her pro-Tiger, and described her as a ‘stooge’ of the Western nations. Oh yes, that was just the printable part.

The activist at the receiving end was Sunila Abeysekera. She was one of the panelists on ‘Aftershock: The lingering legacy of civil war,’ presented by the BBC World Service. Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and event moderator Bridget Kendall (BBC’s diplomatic correspondent) were on stage. The exchange presented a clear idea of the differing perceptions on the concept of reconciliation.

Rajpal Abeynaike

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, chauvinism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, disparagement, ethnicity, growth pole, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, politIcal discourse, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, taking the piss, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, truth as casualty of war, violence of language, war reportage, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes, zealotry

Yasmin Azad’s “Stay, Daughter” hits the Bookshelves

Muslims of Sri Lanka who, decades ago, grew up in communities that were moderate and broadminded often wonder why Islamic fundamentalism has come back with such force. What made a once-tolerant people want to set themselves apart from everyone else?

This question lies at the heart of Stay, Daughter, a memoir that gives an intimate glimpse into the world of Muslims as times changed and the impact of the modern and Westernized world was felt.

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, art & allure bewitching, British colonialism, communal relations, cultural transmission, economic processes, education, ethnicity, female empowerment, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, meditations, modernity & modernization, Muslims in Lanka, politIcal discourse, religiosity, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, teaching profession, the imaginary and the real, travelogue, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

In Appreciative Memory of Karen Roberts, 1965-2018

Michael Roberts

It has been something of a shock for me to discover that the Sri Lankan authoress Karen Roberts[1] had passed away in USA in 2018 while only in her middle-aged fifties (about the same age as my daughters). What a tragedy!

Continue reading

9 Comments

Filed under art & allure bewitching, communal relations, cultural transmission, education, female empowerment, historical interpretation, landscape wondrous, life stories, literary achievements, Muslims in Lanka, politIcal discourse, riots and pogroms, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, trauma, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

Switzerland Surrenders …. While the Machinations of a Cabal appear in the Deep Seas

Political Editor of the Sunday Times, 5 January 2019, where the title runs  “UNP leadership: Parliamentary group to decide next week”

Switzerland has publicly expressed regrets for challenging Sri Lankan “authorities’ commitment to due process” and for calling that “into question” over the saga involving an embattled staffer at the embassy in Colombo. Their about turn, embarrassingly coming down a few notches, was spelt out in an official Third Person Note (TPN) Bern sent on December 30, 2019 to the Ministry of Foreign Relations. This was after diplomatic consultations got under way with a special envoy to ease tensions between the two countries. The note was released both in Colombo and Bern simultaneously.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, conspiracies, doctoring evidence, historical interpretation, life stories, news fabrication, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom, Rajapaksa regime, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

Bar Association canes Swiss Embassy for Its Garnier Act

News Item in Island, 4 January 2019,where the title reads thus …. “BASL takes umbrage over Swiss Govt. statement”

The Bar Association of Sri Lanka yesterday took umbrage over the high handed statement issued by the Swiss government on December 30 relating to proceedings pending in the magistrates Court of Colombo over the purported abduction of one of its Colombo embassy’s local employees.

Hanspeter Mock

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, conspiracies, disparagement, doctoring evidence, governance, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, news fabrication, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, press freedom, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

Gerald Peiris’s Review in 2014 of the Literature on the Death Counts during the Final Stage of Eelam War IV

  Gerald H Peiris, presenting a review article in February 2014, which is pertinent to claims TODAY. The original title runs asEncountering ‘Death Counts’ in the Final Phase of the Eelam War” …. and appeared in both http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=97232 …. And also at https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/encountering-death-counts-in-the-final-phase-of-the-eelam-war/ …. where it drew 77 comments with the last violent chauvinist ‘gunshot’ being on 17th February 2014 (see below)

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, atrocities, British imperialism, centre-periphery relations, communal relations, doctoring evidence, Eelam, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, IDP camps, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, mass conscription, military strategy, news fabrication, NGOs, patriotism, politIcal discourse, population, power politics, prabhakaran, propaganda, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, UN reports, unusual people, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

Composing THE BROKEN PALMYRAH: Rajani Thiranagama’s Rigorous Oversight … and Her Insights

Rajan Hoole, whose chosen title is “Thirty Years After: Rajini Rajasingham Thiranagama’s Lasting Impact”

Text of Speech delivered by DR. Rajan Hoole at Trimmer Hall, Jaffna, on 21st September 2019 to mark the 30th anniversary of Dr.Rajini Thiranagama’s assassination [by the LTTE] …. presented first at http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/65690

Ever since Rajani was killed, on 21st September 1989, many around the world have seen her as a heroic figure that stood for human values, not in a legalistic sense, but in the full-blooded sense that evokes an emotional and intellectual response; that moves those around her to commitment and action that is contagious. Accepting that we are living in a world that is not pacifist, her activism was towards solutions that avoided violence. The other view of Rajani was simply that she is a traitor. For those who felt helpless when the Tigers carried all before them, she inspired them as a symbol of resistance to the emerging fascist order, where to dissent was to court death.

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, British colonialism, centre-periphery relations, chauvinism, democratic measures, devolution, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, language policies, law of armed conflict, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, meditations, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, unusual people, vengeance, welfare & philanthophy, women in ethnic conflcits, working class conditions, world events & processes

Narendran’s Evaluation of the IDP Camps in August 2009

Narendran Rajasingham, in TamilWeek, 30 August 2009** … where the title is “Internally displaced persons: The new front of an old war in Sri Lanka”

Since the defeat of the LTTE on 18th May’ 2009 at Nandikadal, the issue of the 300,000 ‘Internally Displaced persons (IDPs)’ has become the new front to fight an old war.  People who have not been to the IDP camps in Chettikulam have been very vociferous in condemning the conditions and the very existence of these camps.  Objective reports based on contextual realities by those who have visited these camps and talked to a cross section of the IDPs are dismissed as propaganda on behalf of the government. Other reports of those who visited these camps, but have highlighted problems that fit in with the agenda of those fighting in the new front, are gobbled up with glee. The reports of those who have not visited these camps and are relying on second hand information and photographs, are accepted as the gospel truth. The desire to condemn and use the situation as an opportunity to continue the old Eelam agenda under a new guise is overwhelmingly obvious.

Rajasingham et al with General Gunaratne  young IDPs at school –Pic deployed in TamilWeek

Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, centre-periphery relations, charitable outreach, communal relations, education, governance, historical interpretation, IDP camps, landscape wondrous, life stories, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, refugees, rehabilitation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, women in ethnic conflcits, working class conditions, world events & processes

A Testing Issue: The Nadesalingam Murugappan Asylum Claim

ONE = Simon Benson & Rosie Lewis, in The Australian, 4 September 2019, where the title runs “Tamil asylum case sets path for 6000 others”

Scott Morrison has vowed to send home more than 6000 illegal immigrants who have had their refugee claims rejected, as he brushed off Labor attempts to drag his religious faith into the debate over the deportation of a Sri Lankan family. The Australian revealed on Wednesday that those 6000 asylum-seekers are engaged in similar legal ­appeals to that of the Tamil family who will learn today whether their ­eleventh-hour Federal Court bid to prevent their ­deportation has succeeded.

Continue reading

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, asylum-seekers, Australian culture, australian media, communal relations, disparagement, doctoring evidence, economic processes, ethnicity, historical interpretation, human rights, immigration, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, religiosity, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, tamil refugees, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, trauma, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes