October 6, 2016 · 2:52 am

Drones ready to Zoom the World

Jamie Walker,  courtesy of The Australian, 5 October 2016, where the title reads “Drones do it better as the technology leaps ahead”

Haven’t heard of Andrew Trid­gell? Well, perhaps you should have. In the micro world of unmanned aerial vehicle buffs, he’s a bit of a legend. The man known as Tridge is the guy to talk to about the future of flying robots. He is lanky, laconic and there’s a touch of the geek about him, which is certainly not out of place in the backblocks of Dalby on Queensland’s Western Downs, where the air fills with cactus moths and the buzz of tiny aircraft engines.

aadrones

The occasion is the UAV Challenge Outback Rescue, a world-class proving ground for technology that’s on the leading edge of where unmanned aerial vehicles are going in public use. The idea is to set a demanding task and get some of the top thinkers and practitioners in the converging fields of robotics, artificial intelligence and software development to fulfil it. The original mission, back in 2007 when the biennial UAV Challenge began, was to get a bottle of water to a point in a distant paddock occupied by a dummy nicknamed Outback Joe. This was supposed to replicate a real-life search and rescue operation for someone injured in the bush. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, australian media, landscape wondrous, life stories, military strategy, modernity & modernization, the imaginary and the real, transport and communications, unusual people, world events & processes

October 5, 2016 · 1:20 pm

Rathika Pathmanathan Face-to-Face and Woman-to-Woman

Frances Bulathsinghala, courtesy of Daily FT, 5 October 2016, where the title reads “Facing the past, bridging the divide” ... with emphasis inblue highlghts added by the Editor, Thuppahi.

The life of 25-year-old Rathika Pathmanathan is a testimony of a post-war nation at the crossroads. She has lived the hideous gore of war, bloodied trenches and is now living the possibilities of peace. She has dared to trust and she has dared to forgive.  In her book ‘There is a Darkness Called Light and I Grope for Myself in the Thick of It,’ published in English, Sinhala and Tamil, recounts her days as a teenaged fighter in the LTTE frontlines of the last phase of the war; the nights and days of starvation in the trenches, the excruciating combat training, the loss of family and the new world of Colombo where she arrived for medical treatment for the leg she almost lost. Seated in the small, sparsely-furnished room she occupies on rent in a remote Sinhala majority suburb in the outer periphery of Colombo, Rathika speaks of wanting to rebuild her life, to study and most of all to actively work towards reconciliation in Sri Lanka, a task she is engaged in at present through her book and as an activist.

rathika

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under accountability, cultural transmission, ethnicity, heritage, Indian religions, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, medical marvels, meditations, patriotism, plural society, politIcal discourse, press freedom, reconciliation, rehabilitation, religiosity, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, trauma, unusual people, war reportage, welfare & philanthophy, working class conditions, world events & processes

October 4, 2016 · 7:55 pm

Mahinda Rajapaksa commences Process of Losing the Peace, May-June 2009

Michael Roberts, drafted on 23rd May and printed in  Frontline, 26/12 of 6-19 June 2009. The original title was “Some Pillars for Lanka’s Future.” The reproduction here has been supplemented by the use of highlighting colours in blue and red… and different pictorial illustrations to that in Frontline.

One can win the War, but lose the Peace.” A cliche this may be, but it is also a hoary truism that looms over the post-war scenario in Sri Lanka. The triumphant Sri Lankan government now has to address the human terrain rather than the fields of battle. In facing this challenge, both government and people concerned must attend to another truism: as Sinnappah Arasaratnam pointed out long ago, extremisms have been feeding off each other and undermining political compromise in Sri Lanka over a long period of time. Now, apart from the well-known Sinhala chauvinist forces outside and within the Rajapaksa government, we must attend to the Tamil chauvinist forces in the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and elsewhere in Sri Lanka, in Tamil Nadu and in the ranks of the vociferous Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora across the world. These forces have to be undermined.

mr-and-statuesmr-proudmr-as-raja

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, Buddhism, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, discrimination, education policy, Eelam, ethnicity, governance, heritage, historical interpretation, human rights, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, language policies, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, nationalism, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, war reportage, world events & processes

October 4, 2016 · 6:48 pm

Murali Reddy evaluates the Ram-Rajapaksa Conversation in July 2009

B. Muralidhar Reddy in Frontline, Volume 26 – Issue 15 :: Jul. 18-31, 2009, where the title is “Sri Lanka — A New Dawn? ... emphasis is the hand of The editor, Thuppahi

“The fast-moving developments in the country since the end of the war seem to show that the President’s strategy is working.”

redyy-on-mr-and-gsl-plans-july-2009President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake at the all-party meeting called by the government—Pic by Eranga Jaywardena

THE pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of what could be the future of post-Prabakaran Sri Lanka appear to be falling into place. A three-hour, no-holds-barred interview of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu group of publications, on the evening of June 30 appears to throw up several pieces that could fit into the puzzle.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, communal relations, cultural transmission, democratic measures, Eelam, foreign policy, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, IDP camps, Indian Ocean politics, landscape wondrous, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, nationalism, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, power sharing, propaganda, Rajapaksa regime, reconciliation, rehabilitation, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, the imaginary and the real, TNA, truth as casualty of war, war reportage, world events & processes

October 4, 2016 · 2:58 pm

Mahinda Rajapaksa meets “The Hindu” in July 2009

I. Preamble by Michael Roberts

I was in Colombo from mid-April 2009 to early June and observed the local coverage of Eelam War IV at its bitter end. I was invited by Muralidhar Reddy[i] to write articles for Frontline on aspects of the politics surrounding the war. Though Frontline is a magazine produced by The Hindu consortium, I was not a regular follower of that newspaper on web — even though I had once been introduced to its owner and chief executive, N. Ram, way back in time by Chandra Schafter and had also had an extended chat with him in Delhi in 1995.[ii]

n_ram_20120625_350_630 N Ram talking to Mahinda Rajapaksa, mid-2009 mahinda-with-ram

Thus the receipt of a Hindu report on President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s thoughts in mid-2009, expressed in an extended session with him conducted by N. Ram, serves up new material from my position. In step with my policy of raising significant episodes in the course of Eelam War IV to public notice,[iii] I  hasten to place this exchange in the public domain. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under accountability, authoritarian regimes, communal relations, disaster relief team, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, IDP camps, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, medical marvels, military strategy, modernity & modernization, nationalism, NGOs, performance, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, Rajapaksa regime, rehabilitation, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, tamil refugees, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, trauma, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, welfare & philanthophy, women in ethnic conflcits, world events & processes

October 4, 2016 · 1:53 pm

Natasha Maurice questions the Bona Fides of the Geneva Campaign Mounted by USA

Natasha Maurice nee Gooneratne … Statement presented by J. Natasha Maurice (nee Gooneratne) at the Panel Discussion ‘Geneva and You’ On 29th September 2016 … with highlighting emphasis in blue and red being impositions by The Editor, Thuppahi 

gyou-11-natasha Natasha addressing Geneva and You

I’d like to start off by firstly thanking Sri Lanka Inc for organising this event, and am confident that it will provide more avenues to discuss the resolution and events surrounding it. This paper will very briefly explore 4 topics, that of multilateral affairs, geopolitics, economic and trade issues, and the issue of the one size fits all model.

Any form of discussion on this resolution becomes so highly politicized, that it is now presumed that you are either anti-government or pro-former government, or that you are pro or anti US or pro or anti UN, if you have any sort of opinion on it. But the background and content of this resolution is not so simply polarized, it’s far more complex. And if we are not careful, we can get so caught up in the politicisation that we can miss the legitimate issues that surround it. These ramifications impact both the macro level, in relation to Sri Lanka as a sovereign entity, and ultimately trickle down to the micro level, in relation to the lives of individual Sri Lankans. … [including] you and me sitting in this room. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, authoritarian regimes, China and Chinese influences, discrimination, doctoring evidence, economic processes, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, law of armed conflict, legal issues, life stories, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, Responsibility to Protect or R2P, security, self-reflexivity, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, UN reports, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes

October 4, 2016 · 1:17 pm

The Geneva Juggernaut and the Yahapalanaya Complicity

gyou-11A Panel Discussion entitled “Geneva and You” was organized by the civil society group Sri Lanka Inc. on 29th September 2016 at the Sri Lanka Foundation institute. The event aimed to educate people about the US led UNHRC Resolution which was co-sponsored by Sri Lanka by exploring the events surrounding the adoption of the resolution and its possible impacts on Sri Lanka as a whole. In this manner the aim was to stimulate discussions on the issues developing from this process.

The line-up of panelists expressed concerns about the nature of events surrounding its adoption and current setting. While all the panelists agreed on the negative aspects of the resolution, views differed on the overall reality behind its adoption and ultimate implementation. The event was chaired by Chamithri Rambukwella, former 2nd Secretary to the Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. The speakers and panelists were Natasha Gooneratne Maurice, Fr. Vimal Tirimanne, Chris Dharmakirti, Dr Palitha Kohona and Dr. Dayan Jaytilleka.

gyou-11-rambukwellaChamithri Rambukwella opens the panel  gyou-11-audienceA segment of the audience

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under accountability, american imperialism, centre-periphery relations, China and Chinese influences, doctoring evidence, economic processes, foreign policy, fundamentalism, Indian Ocean politics, island economy, landscape wondrous, Left politics, legal issues, life stories, LTTE, nationalism, news fabrication, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, Responsibility to Protect or R2P, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil migration, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, unusual people, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes

October 3, 2016 · 3:05 pm

Extremisms in Lanka and Worldwide

Rajan Philips,  courtesy of The Island, 1 October 2016, where the title is “With the West sneezing extremism, can Sri Lanka and others avoid catching cold?” .… Emphasis vvia highlighting is from The Editor,Thuppahi.

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2013 file photo, Donald Trump appears on the "Fox & friends" television program in New York. Trump on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014 told a group of New Jersey Republicans he expects New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to make it through the scandals that are plaguing his administration. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

demos-jp

One would have thought that the old wisecrack needs to be reversed. The West may not be just sneezing, but has already got the cold, even worse, a bad fever of extremism. And that the worry would be if others can avoid the infection. Not so fast, says the wag, as there is quite a bit of Sri Lankan and South Asian sneezing and coughing going around, and we don’t need infection from the West to make matters worse. Jaffna’s Chief Protestor has signalled his periodical awakening from his chronic administrative sleep with the new “EzhugaThamizh” (linguists use ‘zh’ instead of ‘l’ for a unique Dravidian letter and sound) slogan. “Pongu” relates to the liquid state of matter, Ezhuga could be Freudian. Southern Chief Ministers are weighing in, or rising up, and the SLFP’s two-timing (between Mahinda and Maithri) Nimal Siripala seized on the sneeze from Jaffna to bark out a cough of his own on the inviolability of being unitary. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under atrocities, cultural transmission, Eelam, historical interpretation, indian armed forces, Indian Ocean politics, Indian religions, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, landscape wondrous, life stories, LTTE, nationalism, performance, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, psychological urges, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, violence of language, world events & processes, zealotry

October 3, 2016 · 6:44 am

The Riveting ‘Revelations’ of Google Street View Imagery

Michael Roberts

About 4-5 years back I recall seeing a google satellite image of the driveway to our house in Adelaide. It registered only vaguely and I did not reflect upon its marvels and implications.  But on 1st October this year young Asela Atukorala from Adelaide sent this circular note:  Hi all, I wrote a new blog post “Showcasing Sri Lanka from Google Street View” about Sri Lanka’s coverage within Google StreetView. Google released coverage of Sri Lankan roads in Google StreetView this March, and in my post I embed areas of Sri Lanka which include Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Point Pedro, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Mannar Island, Ja-Ela and Negombo. You can explore the Sri Lankan roads in my blog post.

If you’re interested you can see it here,  http://aselaatukorala.blogspot.com/2016/10/showcasing-sri-lanka-from-google-street.html.

 Best Regards,  Asela

OR TRY http://www.gadgetsnow.com/computing/Now-watch-Street-View-imagery-of-Sri-Lanka-on-Google-Maps/articleshow/51515705.cm 

OR  http://www.newsvoir.com/release/google-launches-street-view-imagery-of-sri-lanka-6429.html Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under accountability, landscape wondrous, life stories, modernity & modernization, performance, security, self-reflexivity, sri lankan society, world affairs

October 2, 2016 · 3:28 pm

The Idea of Federalism: From Banda to Chelva to Colvin

Rajan Philips,  courtesy of The Island 24 September 2016, where the title is ““SWRD Bandaranaike and the paradox of Sri Lankan federalism”…  Apart from a change of ttile and an adjustment in the first sentecnce, I have inserted emphasis in blue– Editor, Thuppahi

aa-bandaThe 26th of September was the 57th death anniversary of Sri Lanka’s fourth Prime Minister, SWRD Bandaranaike. The shocking circumstances of his death in 1959 and the subsequent electoral successes of the political party that he founded ensured his posthumous political significance and the commemoration of his death as an annual state event for the next two decades. Even tomorrow there will be commemoration ceremonies at the Horagolla Samadhi, but not at the same scale of splendour as they were during the 1960s and 1970s. A silver tongued orator, Mr. Bandaranaike was also a rare political figure outside the two Left political parties, who could actually ‘write’ and did write on politics. The subject of my commemorative piece today is what Mr. Bandaranaike (SWRD) wrote in 1926 to The Ceylon Morning Leader that was published in Colombo at that time. SWRD wrote six Letters to the Morning Leader on the subject of federalism in May-June 1926, and in July the newspaper carried an extensive report on a speech he delivered in Jaffna on July 17, 1926, on the topic: ‘A Federal System for Sri Lanka.’

banda-speaking Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under governance, heritage, historical interpretation, language policies, Left politics, life stories, modernity & modernization, politIcal discourse, power politics, power sharing, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, social justice, sri lankan society, unusual people, world affairs