July 2, 2016 · 2:51 am

Clinton on Warpath looms over Sri Lanka

Padraig Colman from https://pcolman.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/president-hillary-clinton-and-sri-lanka/

It is hard to imagine what a Donald Trump presidency might bode for Sri Lanka because Trump makes a virtue of avoiding fixed positions on foreign policy – and he lies. We might surmise that Hillary Clinton as president would probably be bad for Sri Lanka because we can examine her track record as Secretary of State at the time that GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) was trying to defeat the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

CLINTON

Clinton chaired the UN Security Council session on September 30 2009 when it adopted Resolution 1888, which dealt with conflict-related sexual violence. The official transcript of her address contained this: “We’ve seen rape used as a tactic of war before in Bosnia, Burma, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. In too many countries and in too many cases, the perpetrators of this violence are not punished, and so this impunity encourages further attacks.” This is not an off-the-cuff remark – she was reading a prepared speech to a session of which she was the chair. Continue reading →

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July 1, 2016 · 4:17 pm

Dr. GC Mendis and the Colebrooke Cameron Papers, 1956

IMG_3785-4r copy Dr. G. C. Mendis 05

In the third quarter of the 20th century when I was studying history at Peradeniya Campus University of Ceylon, it was fashionable for budding historians to select political topics, such as the periods of British Governors, for their dissertation work. I opted otherwise and chose agrarian history for my D. Phil. Work at Oxford. This leaning had been generated by my 4th year Honours course under W.J. F. Labrooy where we had to cut our teeth in documentary explorations through the two volume ‘monument’ edited by Dr. G. C. Mendis, namely The Colebrooke Cameron Papers, two vols. Oxford University Press, 1956.

Dr. Mendis had retired from university service by the time I entered Peradeniya, but, building on the work of S. A. Pakeman at University College in Colombo, he had been the founding architect of the Department of History at the University of Ceylon, with the able assistance of his younger colleague, W. J. F. Labrooy, over many a year.

So the opportunity is taken here to introduce The Colebrooke Cameron Papers to all those readers interested in Ceyloniana and Sri Lankan history as one facet in the elaboration of Dr. G. C. Mendis’ vital role in the development of the discipline in Sri Lanka  with the aid of a bibliography of his works. Michael Roberts Continue reading →

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July 1, 2016 · 4:04 pm

Addressing the Fishing Dispute between Indians and Sri Lankans

M. A. Sumanthiran, in The Hindu, 29 June 2016, with the title “Fishing in troubled waters”

The issue of poaching by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan waters has over the years become an increasingly contentious one, seriously threatening the livelihood of Sri Lanka’s fishing community. Fishers being among the poorest communities in both Sri Lanka and India, it is an issue of national concern to both countries. Indian fishermen practise bottom trawling, which entails scraping the seabed. This not only adversely impacts our marine ecosystem but also has a direct implication for the lives of fisherfolk in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. Sri Lankan fishermen are often forced to stay ashore for fear that these trawlers will damage their nets, their primary asset for livelihood. There have even been incidents of fishermen suffering physical injuries while attempting to save their nets from being damaged by Indian trawlers.

aa poaching 22

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June 30, 2016 · 3:39 pm

Jagath Senaratne’s History of the SL Armoured Corps enters the book world

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The 60th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) was on the 15th of December 2015. The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, 60 Years of History, 1955-2015 was published to record this milestone in the continuing saga of the Corps. This Book is now available for purchase by the general public. Continue reading →

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June 30, 2016 · 2:42 pm

Yasmin Sooka on the Warpath Again

Shamindra Ferdinando, in The Island, 29 June 2016, where the title is “Sooka’s latest report to UNHRC: Glaring omissions”

 An expensive survey carried out by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), affiliated to the Foundation of Human Rights in South Africa, recently released ‘Forgotten Sri Lanka’s exiled victims.’ The release of the report coincided with the commencement of the on-going 32 sessions of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The report inadvertently revealed the existence of clandestine networks, facilitating Sri Lankans of Tamil origin, including former members of the LTTE, reaching Europe, through illegal means.

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The study disclosed that LTTE personnel, including those who had been with Shanmugalingam Sivashankar alias Pottu Amman’s dreaded intelligence service, having secured citizenship in European countries, including the UK. Obviously, the report was meant to intensify pressure on Sri Lanka on the Geneva front, justify hybrid war crimes court on the basis of exaggerated and unsubstantiated accusations directed at the Sri Lankan military. Continue reading →

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June 30, 2016 · 10:33 am

Britain in the World Today: Two Lankans in Revealing Joust

Ivan Amarasinghe and Chandre Dharmawardana are Sri Lankan scientists who have chosen to live as migrants abroad. They participate in a lively chain email network which has been debating several political issues, including Brexit. The specific argie-bargie presented below [without their permission per se] certainly enlightened me.  I am  persuaded that it will promote thinking and debate. I encourage dinky-die Brits … well even dinky-die Aussies …. to comment on the issues raised here. Michael Roberts

Ivan Amarasinghe in UK about UK, 28 June 2016

What has been perceived as the arrogance and dictatorial attitudes of the EU Czars was the main cause for the British Exit (Brexit) from the EU. It is the very same attitude by these EU Czars towards countries like Sri Lanka. http://colombogazette.com/2016/06/29/eu-calls-for-international-participation-in-accountability-process/ Continue reading →

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June 30, 2016 · 6:44 am

Cinematic Hindutva: “Mohendajāro” monkeys with history

Ajoy Ashirwad Mahaprashasta, on 28 June 2016 with title “Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Mohenjo Daro’ Falls Prey to Hindutva Horseplay”… and the pointed note: “The Hindu right’s worn-out, archaeologically-baseless argument that the Harappan civilisation and Rig Vedic age coincided, may get a new lease of life through the film’s poor depiction of history.”

MOHNEDAJAROA still from the trailer of Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro, featuring lead actor Hrithik Roshan and showing the horse seal.
It seems that Ashutosh Gowariker’s quest for good cinema ends with humongous sets and big stars. While there seems to be a sudden – and welcome – urge among Hindi filmmakers to make historical epics, their lack of attention to historical facts leaves the discerning audience with a bad taste in the mouth. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani recently portrayed Bajirao as an indefatigable Hindu warrior, one whose only mission was to hoist the saffron flag in India by defeating his Muslim opponents, the Mughals. That the modern Indian state was yet to be born and that the Mughal empire was no caliphate, are facts disregarded by him.Ashutosh Gowariker’s ‘Mohenjo Daro’ Falls Prey to Hindutva Horseplay

Yet again, a historical film seems to be catching public attention, but for all the wrong reasons. Gowariker, of Lagaan (2001) and Jodhaa Akbar (2008) fame, recently released the trailer of his much-awaited Mohenjo Daro, which is being touted as not just his magnum opus but the greatest film ever made in India. Unfortunately, the trailer gives us nothing but a twisted idea of a civilisation that seems far from real. Mohenjo Daro, which was the name of one of the biggest urban townships of the Harappan or Indus Valley civilisation, is the story of one of the first cities of the world. Gowariker gets the date right – 2016 BCE, which the trailer announces – but apart from this, he gets almost every other aspect of the ancient civilisation grossly wrong. Continue reading →

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June 29, 2016 · 12:35 pm

Zeid on Warpath says UNHRC and Yahapaalanaya are on the Same Page

The Island, in two [confusing] items today 28 June 2016 … http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=147741 …. AND …  http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=147742

The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC has renewed its call for international participation in the proposed war crimes probe in Sri Lanka following representations made by the government of Sri Lanka and the four-party Tamil National Alliance (TNA). The Island yesterday revealed that TNA Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran had disclosed a tripartite understanding among the GoSL, the US and the TNA in respect of foreign judges as well as other personnel to be accommodated in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism.

Call for foreign judges renewed

*Fresh probe into ‘cluster bombs’ sought

*Lankan peacekeepers striclty screened

article_imageUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, in his special report that dealt with the entire gamut of issues, said: “A key question remains the participation of international judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers in a judicial mechanism. Continue reading →

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June 29, 2016 · 4:17 am

A Dreamy Beach Vacation for Old Men

Morning Gents……….. Are you looking for the perfect holiday destination, with lifeguards on duty, like this one? 

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June 28, 2016 · 4:06 am

Lanka’s Immediate Prospects and Samaraweera

Jehan Perera, in The Island,  28 June 2015, where the title is  “Sri Lanka’s Brexit hour still to come”

The Sri Lankan government goes into the current session of the UN Human Rights Council with several accomplishments to show. These are primarily at the level of change of spirit and less as concrete changes that can be quantified. It is difficult to quantify the impact of the lifting of fear of agents of the state and their associates acting with impunity, of white vans into which people disappear and the attitude of confrontation. But these have transformed life in the country. The passage of the Right to Information law in Parliament unanimously, without a vote and therefore without division, is an indication that there is broad acceptance in the polity, to which the government gives leadership, that good governance is good for all. In addition, the government has been able to showcase the draft law setting up the Office of Missing Persons, which is one of the four transitional justice mechanisms that it promised to establish at the October 2015 session of the UNHRC. brexit SL Continue reading →

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