January 20, 2016 · 2:21 am

Tough Jobless Life for former Tamil Tigers

Amantha Perera, courtesy of IRIN News, where the title is “Ex-Tamil Tigers go jobless in Sri Lanka”

Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN…….People near the northern village of Pallai cross a railway line that was under construction in September 2014

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January 19, 2016 · 9:59 am

Meeting Daya Master in Jaffna in 2013 — Padma Rao Sundarji

Padma Rao Sundarji, being Chapter 7 in her book Sri Lanka. The New Country, bearing the title “Jaffna: A Former Tiger is a TV Producer” …. while I have taken a few liberties with the formatting and also inserted my emphases for reader attention: Michael Roberts

10155718_10152329598339593_3887767725851885689_n (1)The morning after meeting Ravi Kumar, I sat on the balcony over coffee. As puttering motorbikes announced the arrival of couples for breakfast at the Green Grass’s outdoor restaurant, I mulled over a decision I had to make. During my two-years of ‘sick leave’ from the Sri Lanka story, foreign reporters based in Delhi, who had been in Sri Lanka (some of whom had been admonished and deported) but also some social workers and NGOs in Colombo, had told me that I should be careful and utterly fastidious in my choice of whom I speak to in the north and north east on my first trips to post-war Sri Lanka.

The army, they said, was everywhere. Jaffna was crawling with military intelligence. They tapped phones, they shadowed reporters, they were even capable of knocking on your door late at night to confiscate your tapes and laptop.

FORMER LTTE SPOKESMAN DAYA MASTER IN JAFFNA Continue reading →

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January 19, 2016 · 2:15 am

Ricardo Hausman’s Incisive Summary of Lanka’s Forum Discussions and Prospects

Professor Ricardo Hausman, from Center for International Development Harvard University

Ricardo-Hausmann

Tonight (Jan. 9) I am flying back from Sri Lanka to Boston after a 3 day visit. The <http://cid.harvard.edu/> Center for International Development at Harvard University (which I am so happy to lead), helped organize the Sri Lanka Economic Forum, together with the Prime Minister’s Office and George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. We had a half day open seminar and a day and a half closed door seminar with policymakers including all the economic area ministers, the governor of the Central Bank and the senior staff. Besides George Soros, the meeting had a great set of word class economists and policymakers including Joseph Stiglitz, Montek Ahluwalia (India), Alan Hirsh (South Africa), Erion Veliaj (Albania), Robert Conrad, Christopher Woodroof, Filipe Campante, Frank Neffke, Ljubica Nedelkoska, Daniel Stock and Tim O’Brien.SL ECON FORUM Continue reading →

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January 19, 2016 · 1:07 am

A Futile Penile Survey?

penile survey

Size does not correlate with propagation.

Thought: were Sri Lankan men too shy — or too stubby — to fit in?

In any event this is what we Sri Lankans think about this type of research: PISSING SWING

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January 18, 2016 · 2:16 pm

Overzealous Islamic Conductor given the bird by his Orchestra in the Netherlands

When the most liberal country in Europe pulls the plug on Islam, the world is beginning to see the light.  Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands attended a concert in the capital, Amsterdam. The Conductor, who just happens to be Muslim, proceeds to give the Queen a lecture on the “beauty” of Islam. The entire orchestra got up and walked out, refusing to be associated with someone lecturing their queen. Staff at the music hall escorted the conductor off-stage and, after questioning, out of the building.  Now that took courage. Good for the people of Holland. Watch the walkout. Bet you didn’t see this on your local news.
Here’s the link:

 

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January 18, 2016 · 2:06 pm

Reverberating Currents of Sinhala Extremism Amidst Other Developments Today

JEHANJehan Perera of the National Peace Council, whose preferred title is as follows: “Non-Stop Attempts to use Ethnic Nationalism as a Political Strategy”

The participation of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and visiting British Minister Hugo Swire at the Thai Pongal celebration in Jaffna is an indication of the special attention that is being given to the northern polity by the government. The top leaders of the government have been making frequent visits to the north in a way that is unprecedented. During the years of the war it was dangerous for government leaders to visit the north as they were vulnerable to being attacked by the LTTE and other militant groups. But even prior to the war there was reluctance on the part of leaders of government to visit the north. Neville Jayaweera, in his memoirs of his time as a civil servant who dealt with the north five decades ago, writes about the petty manner in which the government leaders of those years turned down opportunities to visit the north. In contrast, President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe are frequent travelers to the north.Maithri-Jaffna-23-march-2015An Event in 2015-Courtesy of C’bo Telegraph

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January 17, 2016 · 4:16 am

NPC targets Hate Speech in Context of Increasing Sinhala Chauvinism

Sinhalese extremist agitation has gathered momentum in both email chain networks involving diaspora Sinhala Lankans (and just Lankans), internet blogs, Facebook etc … and also in whisper, proclamation and media exchanges within Sri Lanka. Albeit in changed contextual circumstances, there is some similarity with the climate of claim and counter-claim in the al;te 1950s and the 1960s.  It is clear that patriots of various currents have NOT learnt the lessons of the past — so plus ca change plus c’cest meme chose. In these circumstances the public suggestion from the National Peace Council is worthy of debate… and its presentation here is followed by some examples of the SINHALE campaign that is being mounted by the ultra-right Sinhalese patriots [who do not seem to be aware that their pressures are just what the good political doctor ordered from the viewpoints of the Global Tamil Forum as well as Tamil extremists in moderate constitutional garments who are active in Sri Lanka. Michael Roberts.

Taxi-Sinha-LePublic Statement by National Peace Council, 17 January 2016:  ALL MANIFESTATIONS OF HATE SPEECH MUST BE BANNED BY LAW Continue reading →

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January 14, 2016 · 8:14 am

An Old Marriage with Deepening Ties?

Ranil + BiswasGamini Ilangakoon, in the Daily News, 14 January 2016, with his chosen title being “Harbinger of Democracy, Diplomacy and Development”

The Government’s Economic Policy Statement was made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament on November 5, 2015. It stated, “Our final goal is to improve and enhance the living standards of the people; it is the goal for which we have obtained the approval of the people at the election. When we came to power on January 8, Sri Lanka had been caught in a tremendous and dangerous international quagmire. This was as a result of a lack of foresight by the previous Government. We must be able to get the economic foundation right. Multi-disciplined economic strength; local competitiveness, international trade and investments must be in our sights”. The international quagmire, the Prime Minister stresses above is not only political, but also diplomatic, globally branding Sri Lanka as a country of failed diplomacy. Continue reading →

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January 13, 2016 · 1:31 am

Unity Junior Team in UAE with Kevin Pietersen Foundation in 2015

kushil plus unity team UAE Kushil Gunasekera and his Unity junior team after the Fog tournament

Following the 2015 Murali Harmony Cup the Foundation of Goodness handpicked the most talented players from the 16–18 age group among the teams hailing from all across the island that attended the tournament to form the Murali Harmony Cup Unity Team. This is a practice we have had since the first Murali Cup, and the aim of this exercise is to give the boys an opportunity to broaden their horizons through an overseas tour whilst also learning to work together in harmony overcoming language and cultural barriers. Continue reading →

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January 11, 2016 · 11:19 pm

The Call of the Remote Wild: Kumana in SE Lanka

ATW Guneratne, courtesy of Daily News, 12 January 2016, where the title is “Wilderness is calling”

TOWN & COUNTRY

This remote Sinhalese village is situated in Eastern Sri Lanka, in the Yala East wild life park commonly known as Kumana. It is probably the only village inside a national park. Kumana village originated with the arrival of Sinhalese people who fled the upcountry areas following the 1818 Uwa Wellasa rebellion. Groups of people fled along rivers downstream to the Northern coast. Several families came down Kumbukan Oya and settled down close to the sea, near the mouth of Kumbukan oya. This is how Kumana village, Panama village 35 km from Kumana, and most of the Sinhalese villages in the East originated.

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