This project intends to share personal stories and anecdotes of people who would otherwise be categorised into a generic migrant community; a glimpse into the lives of these people which could break down stereotypes and facilitate co-existence with not only the host community but also with other migrant communities. The project also hopes to enable a deeper understanding within the ...
The scorched earth campaign to exterminate the Mayans during Guatemala’s 36 year civil war, spearheaded by General Rios Montt, dictator and military leader, responsible for massacres, rape and torture, was found by a UN backed Truth Commission to be an act of deliberate genocide. Pamela Yates’ documentary film ‘When the Mountains Tremble’ and its outtakes ...
Samanmalee UnanthennaNationalism in our post-modern era is an extremely suspect concept. It smacks of homogeneity, patriarchy and insularity; all ideas and concepts that our generation has learned with good reason to suspect. Most difficult of all, it
by Tanuja Thurairajah''There were 43.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2009, the highest number since the mid-1990s. Of these, 15.2 million were refugees; 10.4 million who fell under UNHCR’s responsibility and 4.8 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate. The figure also includes 983,000 asylum seekers and 27.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)1.''
Asia Report N°191 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Sri Lankan security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) repeatedly violated international humanitarian law during the last five months of their 30-year civil war. Although both sides committed atrocities throughout the many years of conflict, the scale and nature of violations particularly worsened from January 2009 to the government’s ...
By ShobasakthiTranslated By Anushiya Ramaswamy 'As I live my days locked up in a wretched prison in this frozen country, I start to write the story of my beloved child, Nirami. The story begins with the birth of God.’ Nirami, Nesakumaran’s fourteen
Tanuja Thurairajah The calm waters ripple; the clear blue skies are ripped apart by distant gunfire. The opening frames of 'A mango tree in the front yard' sets a premonitive mood to the film about to unravel. Simple, stark and uncomplicated in its delivery, Pradeepan Raveendran's short film captures the essence of the key actors behind the war and the ...
Essay from Issue N° 1 of DISSENTING DIALOGUES*NOVEMBER 2010Rohini Hensmanis a writer and researcher who was born and brought up in Sri Lanka, which is the setting for her second novel, Playing Lions and Tigers. She lives in Bombay and has been active in the trade union and women's liberation movements, as well as anti-war campaigns and struggles against the ...
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) and the Sri Lanka Islamic Forum-UK (SLIF-UK)invite you to a public discussion onSaturday 30 October from 2- 5 pm Tamil - Muslim Relations: After 20 years of Expulsion of Northern MuslimsThe venue: Conference Room3rd Floor, Berkeley Business Centre44 Broadway, Stratford, London, E15 1XH(nearest tube station: Stratford ) Panel discussion will be chaired by Najah Mohamed ...
by Dr. Daya SomasundaramAbstractThis paper looks at what happened to the people of the Vanni in 2009 as the Sri Lankan armed forces destroyed the Liberation Tigers, a designated terrorist organization. A population of 300,000 underwent multiple displacements, deaths, injuries, deprivation of water, food, medical care and other basic needs caught between the shelling and bombings of the state forces ...
Tanuja Thurairajah‘Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign.But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize.’[1]Chimamanda Adichie I was inspired by the above words of Chimamanda Adichie talking about the ¨Danger of a single story’ and I reflected on how true this has been and will be in the case of Sri Lanka and its instrasigient ...
by Samanmalee Unanthenna I apologise. Clearly I was wrong in my predictions regarding the new Rajapaksa cabinet in my earlier article. What I did not realise was that quite apart from an acute sense of survival and strong sense of family loyalty, our President has a dark sense of humour. How else would you explain appointing a former tuition master, ...
Ethnic consciousness: The case of Sri Lanka By Daya Somasundaram The dangers inherent in emphasising difference and exclusiveness as the foundations of collective identities are not to be underestimated. While group identities provide various benefits, the consequences of a group considering itself superior to others often results in violence. The polarised ethnic consciousnesses of the two main groups in Sri ...
by Ahilan KadirgamarThe following are my prepared remarks at the Global South Asia conference at New York University on 13 February 2010. My prepared remarks on the Sri Lanka panel in titled, ‘Return of the Displaced and Political Reconciliation’ are below. The remarks in the Sri Lanka panel which I chaired were to complement the presentations by Sharika Thiranagama, New ...
