The Mihintale narrow-mouthed frog and below, the tadpole of this frog
Viran Corea’s Thoughts on Constitutional Reform
Himal Kotelawela in Q and A with Viran Corea
Himal 
ViranMajor changes to the Constitution of Sri Lanka are on the cards, with the Government encouraging citizens to submit their own suggestions for constitutional amendments that seek to, among other things, abolish the Executive Presidency, change the electoral system, and bring about meaningful and lasting reconciliation. Roar spoke to legal expert and Research Associate at Verité Research, Viran Corea on what the people of Sri Lanka can expect from the proposed amendments.
Was the “Federal” Party a separatist party from the outset, or NOT?
Chandre Dharmawardana
“Those in the forefront of the Tamils’ agitation for devolution of power have always been vague, deliberately or unconsciously, in the terminology used in their arguments, and the distinction between provincial autonomy, states’ rights in a federal union, and a separate state have been blurred by a fog of verbiage, and obfuscation K. M. de Silva [1]”
In this essay I will try to give an account of how the “Federalist” politics of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi is seen by me, an outsider who had no real access to the main players, except indirectly. In my reading, it is incorrect to claim that Federalism or Eelam was the clear aim of the 1949 Maradana resolution. Both tendencies existed. The Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) name was deliberate, and satisfied the separatist ginger group of the ITAK, while the “Federal” name in English satisfied the moderate politicians from Colombo-7. Mr. V. Navaratnam is representative of the important separatist group inside the ITAK as he was the early theoretician of the ITAK. He wrote the then well-known book “Ceylon Faces Crisis”, with an Eelam Map distributed in 1957 [2]. A Separatist Postage stamp was designed by Navaratnam in 1956, and issued in 1961 [3]. Continue reading
Filed under communal relations, constitutional amendments, historical interpretation, language policies, Left politics, life stories, parliamentary elections, politIcal discourse, power politics, riots and pogroms, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, truth as casualty of war, world events & processes
US Alliance enmeshed in Middle Eastern Mess without an Exit Route
David Kilcullen, from The Weekend Australian 13-14 February 2016, where the title is “Already Weary of the long war that we are not winning” … and where Kilcullen clarifies the spread-effects of the Bush administration’s disastrous intervention in Iraq and its efforts to “spread democracy at the barrel of a gun” (in Maajid Nawaz’s words) reaching a point “when there is no drawbridge NOW” — Editorial Comment
As I write, Western countries (several, particularly the US, now with severely reduced international credibility) face a larger, more unified, capable, experienced and savage enemy, in a less stable, more fragmented region, with a far higher level of geopolitical competition, and a much more severe risk of great-power conflict, than at any time since 9/11. It isn’t just Islamic State; al-Qa’ida has emerged from its eclipse and is back in the game in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Syria, Somalia and Yemen. We’re dealing with not one but two global terrorist organisations, each with regional branches, plus a vastly larger radicalised population at home, and a flow of foreign terrorist fighters 10 to 12 times the size of anything seen before. Likewise, last year’s Taliban resurgence shows that as bad as things seem now, they can get much worse if the Afghan drawdown creates the same opportunity for Islamic State next year as the Iraqi drawdown did in 2012.
Kilcullen —en.wikipedia.org Continue reading
Filed under accountability, american imperialism, atrocities, British imperialism, historical interpretation, Islamic fundamentalism, jihad, legal issues, politIcal discourse, power politics, self-reflexivity, terrorism, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war reportage, world events & processes, zealotry
Swirling through the Skies. Paratrooper Irosha
Chathuri Dissanayake, in The Daily News, 15 February 2016, with the title “Irosha: Lanka’s silver lining in the clouds”
Irosha Rajapaksha has her head in the clouds, and that’s a good thing. As one of the two female paratroopers in the country, she has a special place in Sri Lanka’s skyline. When Leading Aircraftwoman Rajapaksha replied to an email to join the first course in parachute jumping for women, she didn’t know what she was getting herself into! But she didn’t think twice before jumping at the chance, and since then she has been jumping into the clouds – 485 times, to be exact. The highest number of jumps for any Sri Lankan female jumper.
Danno Budunge: “Goodness Gracious Me!”
Sasanka Perera, courtesy of Groundviews where the title runs thus: “Shrillness of Nonsensical Cultural Politics and the Social History of a Song” … see http://groundviews.org/2016/02/08/18976/
About a week back in an email exchange I was prompted by ethnographic anecdotes sent by Arun Dias Bandaranaike in Colombo to suggest to him that we should collaborate on an article on the topics of “Insularity” and “Parochiality.” I see those concepts as inter-related and overlapping. My suggestion was/is that the foundation provided by insularity enables and inspires eruptions of chauvinism (in this focus among the Sinhalese peoples but the reasoning could be extended to other contexts and socio-political settings – for example, among the redneck and hill-billy locales in USA). So, this thoughtful essay from Sasanka Perera is serendipitous. We are on the same song-sheet. I have taken the liberty of highlighting portions of his essay in colour. Michael Roberts
Kishani Jayasinghe ….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plaKsOtC3b8
The latest news from Sri Lanka’s often bizarre domains of cultural politics is that Buddhism is under threat along with Sinhala culture. This however, is not due to the corrupt and violent politics that still remain the hallmark of the country’s mainstream politics or because of the unethical and anti-doctrinal work of marauding Buddhist monks who have become storm troopers causing bodily harm to people, disrupting court proceedings and vehicular traffic in the country putting Hitler’s dreaded Brown-shirts to shame. Continue reading
Filed under atrocities, Buddhism, communal relations, cultural transmission, disparagement, ethnicity, fundamentalism, heritage, historical interpretation, Indian religions, Indian traditions, patriotism, politIcal discourse, racist thinking, religiosity, religious nationalism, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, tolerance, world affairs, zealotry
Heightened Sinhala Patriotism assumes Dangerous Chauvinist Hues
Michael Roberts
These images landed on my computer desk and should be studied and reflected upon in conjunction with the bibliographical items that I will insert in between the pictorial displays — every one of them revealing the heightened agitation among Sinhalese intellectuals at home and abroad. These outpourings indicate several strands of chauvinist Sinhala nationalism that are extremist in various degrees. Such extremism feeds off the Tamil extremism in display among diaspora Tamils as well as some elements in Sri Lanka. The pressures that have been heaped on Sri Lanka by USA and its handmaidens in the UN secretariat have also been a major force in generating these trends. In brief, this is just what the Global Tamil Forum and the deified ghost of talaivar Prabhakaran want.
Filed under governance, historical interpretation, Indian Ocean politics, political demonstrations, politIcal discourse, power politics, racist thinking, reconciliation, self-reflexivity, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, vengeance, world events & processes, zealotry
In Appreciation of P. I. Pieris — “Ian” to Some Pals, “PI” to Others
Gerry Suraweera, in Daily News, 13 February 2016, with title “Ian Pieris: The unsung pioneer of Sri Lankan industry and business”
The recent demise of Ian Pieris brought spontaneous appreciations from the field of cricket, where his prowess in bowling, batting or administration was never in doubt! He is also being credited as the only “gentleman” who resigned from the post of President of Sri Lanka Cricket. It is sad to note that since his departure from Richard Pieris Group as the Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, his pioneering achievements as an industry and a business leader has been forgotten.
My objective as an ex-employee of Richard Pieris Group and a person who has been in involved in manufacturing, marketing, publicity and advertising to appreciate this great man’s contributions to the rubber and the plastic industry, international and retail marketing in Sri Lanka.
Filed under economic processes, education, heritage, life stories, sri lankan society, unusual people
Rajan Philips on Lanka’s Current Dilemmas
Rajan Philips, courtesy of the Sunday Island, 14 February 2016, where the title is “War Crimes and War Heroes: Horns of Sri Lanka’s dilemma”
Even for those of us who are not (western) classists, it would make sense to know that the resolution of a dilemma in logic and rhetoric involves either taking the left horn, the right horn, or going in between the two, not to mention (rhetorically) distracting the proverbial bull. Transcending from the ‘precocious’ world of ancient Greece to the pernicious world of contemporary Sri Lankan politics (where good things can still happen from time to time – as Professor Carlo Fonseka realized and reminded us last week), we could identify the vested interests hanging on to one or the other of the two horns of our country’s dilemma, as well as hanging on to both. The Rajapaksa forces have hung on to the horn of war heroes ever since 2009 and won two (2010) and lost two elections (2015). The Wickremasinghe forces were impaled on the heroic horn twice in 2010, and have now caught the horn of war crimes after their double resurrection in 2015. President Sirisena, although it requires some research to see if he commands any (political) forces, is by far the only player of consequence today who has been on the winning side in all the four contests in 2010 and in 2015. Reduced to being less than insignificant in the Rajapaksa universe in 2010, Sirisena emerged as more than a hero for the common opposition in 2015. He is now trying to hang on to the two horns of the nation’s dilemma. Continue reading
Filed under accountability, democratic measures, governance, historical interpretation, human rights, legal issues, LTTE, parliamentary elections, patriotism, politIcal discourse, power politics, Rajapaksa regime, Responsibility to Protect or R2P, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, vengeance, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes
No Groundwork, No Critical Thinking. A Dilettante Thinker’s Foray into Sri Lanka
Padraig Colman, courtesy of his web site where the title is “The Numbers Game and Critical Thinking.” …… This presentation is embellished by hyperlinks and emphases in red or purple added by the Thuppahi Editor –who has also added a Select Bibliography , one which incorporates several of Padraig Colman’s essays as well as the References deployed by the Editor (Roberts) in his blog comments on Kenan Malik’s essay in the latter’s web site …. https://kenanmalik.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/in-the-haunting-light-of-jaffna/#comment-16635
Kenan Malik –Pic from oslofreedomforum.com 
Critical Thinking and Ethics: I have long gained deep intellectual satisfaction from the application of critical thinking. Critical thinking has been defined as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.”[1] Continue reading
Filed under accountability, doctoring evidence, historical interpretation, law of armed conflict, life stories, LTTE, military strategy, politIcal discourse, power politics, prabhakaran, propaganda, Rajapaksa regime, reconciliation, Responsibility to Protect or R2P, Sinhala-Tamil Relations, slanted reportage, sri lankan society, Tamil civilians, Tamil Tiger fighters, the imaginary and the real, truth as casualty of war, war crimes, war reportage, world events & processes
