Stephen Wright, in The Daily Mail, 22 April 2017, with the tile reading as “Asylum seeker from Sri Lanka let himself be tortured with hot iron bars to support his bid to stay in Britain”
* The man, 35, said they showed how he was badly treated in his native country
* The Court of Appeal ruled it was a ruse called ‘self-infliction by proxy’ or SIBP
* Lord Justice Sales also raised doubts over his relationship with the Tamil Tigers
Filed under accountability, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, politIcal discourse, security, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, tamil refugees, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, world events & processes
Alex McKay, reprint from IIAS NewsLetter, where the title reads “The Sikkim (India) Palace Archive Digitilisation Project” …. Emphasis by highlighting is the imposition of The Editor, Thuppahi
The Indian Himalayan state of Sikkim, which separates Nepal to the west and Bhutan to the east, emerges into the historical record with the establishment of the Namgyal dynasty in the 1640s. As a Buddhist kingdom Sikkim’s closest cultural links were with their northern neighbour Tibet, but during the 19th century they were increasingly drawn into the orbit of their southern neighbour, British India. The colonial government sought to establish diplomatic and trading relations with the Tibetans as well as to ensure the security of their northern frontier from any threat in that direction. Sikkim offered them a “stepping stone” to Tibet and despite Sikkimese efforts to avoid alienating either of the two powers the British appointed a Political Officer in 1889 who ruled Sikkim under the Princely State system. A series of Political Officers then oversaw the administration of Sikkim down to Indian independence in 1947. In 1975 the 12th and final ruling Chogyal (King/Maharaja), Palden Thondup Namgyal (1923 – 1982), was deposed by India and Sikkim was merged into India. It exists today simply as a state of India, albeit with certain administrative distinctions.
Fr. Paul Caspersz, a priest of the order of the Society of Jesus for 65 years, died last Wednesday at the age of 92. His funeral was in Kandy, where he lived for over 40 years, and he was laid to rest at the Lewella Jesuit cemetery. It was difficult to see Fr Paul unable to walk, although he was otherwise his usual self. Tall and handsome, he was well proportioned in physical appearance. He was equally well adjusted in his character and in his bearing. He was inspired as a teenager to become a Jesuit and to go to Oxford as a Jesuit “after reading a page or two about Ignatius Loyola and the Jesuits in the context of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation”, in the unlikeliest of sources ‘A History of England’ by T.F. Tout. He accomplished both and remained true to his faith, his celibate life, and the fierce commitment of Jesuits to the first cause that inspired them. Fr. Paul was much more. Continue reading
David Robson ….. re-printing an old essay in The Daily News, 24 December 2013, in an article entitled “Remembering Bawa”
In this article, originally published in Indian Architect & Builder, architect and writer David Robson pens an intimate and personal account of the life and work of Geoffrey Bawa – an incredible architect with an unparalleled legacy in Sri Lanka and south-east India.
Ten years have rolled by since Geoffrey Bawa’s death and fifteen since ill-health forced him to hang up his tee-square. It’s time to take stock: what was his legacy? How were his ideas disseminated? What influence has he had? What were his qualities? Who was Geoffrey Bawa?
Bawa at Lunuganga in the 1990s Continue reading
Emily Ritchie, in The Australian, 2 May 2017, where the title is “Curtis Cheng Killer’s ISIS-Style Salute” … Note that emphasis has been imposed by the Editor, Thuppahi.
Just 15 minutes before teenage terrorist Farhad Jabar shot and killed NSW police accountant Curtis Cheng, he stared into the security camera at a Sydney mosque and ominously raised his index finger in an Islamic State-style salute. For the first time, a Sydney court heard details yesterday of alleged plotting between a group of young men accused of supplying the gun Jabar used to carry out the October 2015 murder.
Pic from Daily Telegraph
Filed under arab regimes, atrocities, cultural transmission, female empowerment, heritage, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, life stories, politIcal discourse, power politics, religious nationalism, terrorism, Uncategorized, unusual people, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry
Sinharaja Tammita-Delgoda, courtesy of the Daily Mirror, 26 April 2017, where the title rune thus: “Martyrdom and LTTE. The worship of death” … with highlighting and additional bibliographivcal references at the end inserted imposed by The Editor, Thuppahi
Dr. SinhaRaja Tammita-Delgoda is one of the few non-combatants allowed into the war zone during the final stages of the Eelam War. On his own initiative, he made an application to visit the operational areas and was granted permission to do so by the Defence Ministry. He toured these areas on three occasions between March and April 2009. His work has been published in international media and military journals, and presented to audiences in the U.K., India and Canada. Dr. Tammita-Delgoda has never been an employee of the Sri Lankan Government nor the Defence Ministry. These impressions and supporting photographs are original and based on firsthand experience in 2009 when the war was still raging and had entered its final stages.
Filed under art & allure bewitching, Buddhism, gender norms, historical interpretation, human rights, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, martyrdom, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, religiosity, Saivism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, suicide bombing, Tamil Tiger fighters, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, world events & processes, zealotry
ONE. Nilantha Ilangamuwa: “Sri Lanka: Chinaphobia — Solution or Delusion!” … Sri Lanka Guardian, 14 March 2017
Many analysts and other concerned parties in diplomacy and international relations have started vowel war against the Chinese influence in the island nation Sri Lanka in recent past. One of many laughable factors of this highly motivated drama is those who clapped and appreciated China during the previous government, led by the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who went home two years prior to the completion of his term due to attachment to power, turned into harsh critiques of Chinese diplomacy with the current government.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/g2412/a-global-roundup-of-aircraft-carriers/ 
Filed under accountability, american imperialism, Australian culture, australian media, authoritarian regimes, citizen journalism, economic processes, fundamentalism, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, military expenditure, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, security, self-reflexivity, the imaginary and the real, world events & processes
Jamie Walker, courtesy of The Australian, 25 April 2017, where the title is “Tour of duty inspires hero Curtis McGrath’s Anzac honour”
Curtis McGrath lost both his legs when he stepped on a landmine in Afghanistan in 2012, but not the will to excel. He was walking on prosthetic limbs within three months. And on a golden day in Rio de Janeiro last September, the young combat engineer stood tall to keep a promise he made to the mates who helped save his life on the battlefield: he would go to the Paralympics and win.
If the gold medal in the KL2 paracanoe was a highlight of his epic journey back from injury, it’s neck-and-neck with the honour conferred on him this Anzac Day. Sapper McGrath, 29, was [chosen] to deliver the commemorative address this morning at the Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. His subject was sacrifice, duty and the debt he owed to his country. Continue reading
Asiff Hussein, courtesy of Roar Life, 25 April 2017, where the chosen title is “Three Strange Sri Lankan Customs And The Stories Behind Them”
Sri Lankans had, and still have, some strange traditions that are thought of as indigenous. However, much of these have their origins in other parts of the world, especially in India, and, to a lesser extent, in the Middle East. Here are three such local beliefs and customs with exotic origins.
Sri Lankans, and especially the Sinhalese, believe that mothers-to-be experience a longing to eat certain kinds of foods, and that if these cravings are not satisfied, it would harm her health or the child she is carrying. This is known as dola-duka. Continue reading
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