Photo courtesy of Brandstory Communications Last month I studied over 4,000 tweets linked to the three main presidential candidates Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW), Sajith Premedasa (SP) and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) in order to study how they presented themselves and how a wider public saw them. I ended by noting, “What’s “real” and “authentic” in politics is often manufactured. Today’s election ...
Photo courtesy of Responsible Statecraft “It has been an exhibition of what the Palestinian scholar Edward Said called ‘the permission to narrate’, and it is that permission that Palestinian Americans have been denied. They have heard their names mentioned fleetingly by a handful of speakers but have not been granted the right to speak their names themselves. Perhaps that is ...
Photo courtesy of Unique Times Despite ongoing pressure from the international community, reforms to advance human rights and reconciliation, especially in institutional and security sectors, have not occurred. On the contrary, there are renewed threats to fundamental freedoms, evidenced by new or proposed regressive laws and ongoing instances of threats, intimidation and violence against victims, civil society, journalists and critics, ...
Photo courtesy of ABC Sri Lankans overwhelmingly cite the economy and inflation as their biggest concerns going into the September presidential election in the latest Institute for Health Policy (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) polling during April to July 2024. However, concerns about unemployment have been rising since the start of the year while the numbers citing corruption ...
Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror The law criminalizing sexual harassment could change very soon. A bill, which proposes to amend S. 345 of the Penal Code, has been gazetted. This is a welcome development. Yet amendments to the Penal Code are insufficient to tackle sexual harassment which women, in particular, have to undergo on a daily basis. Sexual harassment is ...
Photo courtesy of Nalaka Gunawardene “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” Ray Wijewardene (1924-2010) often quoted these words by the English poet Robert Browning, embedded in the poem Andrea del Sarto. An engineer, aviator, inventor, farmer and a public intellectual of the highest calibre, Ray was renowned for his unorthodox ideas and ...
Photo courtesy of The Star With nominations for the September 21 presidential elections now completed, a survey of the political landscape provides an interesting picture. A record 39 candidates are in the fray but most of them would be also rans. In this year’s election, there are three main candidates with a couple of other interesting side shows. In the ...
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Guardian “…who’s the fairest of them all?” Grimm Brothers (Snow White) The most iconic moment at Nelson Mandela’s star studded memorial service was a handshake. As US President Barack Obama ran up to the podium under a light drizzle, a CNN reporter was droning about the extra security arrangements. Suddenly, the excited voice of Christiane ...
Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Brief Look up “schoolgirl” and “rape” and “Sri Lanka”. There are many stories which are posted by Google Search with those taglines. We have to refine the search for the most recent atrocity by location and date. Location: Thanamalwila. It is difficult to determine the date because the case involves a situation of ongoing multiple ...
Photo by Ama Koralage The root causes of Sri Lanka’s 26 year civil war have yet to be addressed resulting in many consequences including exacerbating the issue of land conflicts and contestation related to places of religious worship. A new report on contested religious sites by MinorMatters sheds light on the escalating conflicts over land and religious sites, particularly in ...
Photo courtesy of DW Sri Lanka’s attempts to build an inclusive society through legislative moves that could result in greater equality for the minority LGBTIQ community have been met with opposition by the country’s religious leaders. They fear that doing so will threaten the culture and social values upheld in Sri Lanka. The backlash comes in the wake of the ...
Photo courtesy of SBS The latest SLOTS polling for July 2024 shows that 72% of Sri Lankans continue to say that the country is heading in the wrong direction while only 8% believe it is on the right track. Public views towards the country’s direction have worsened since July 2023, driven by a steady decline in uncommitted respondents. The number ...
Photo courtesy of ICRC In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, Groundviews conducted an in depth interview with Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, a distinguished human rights lawyer and former UN Under-Secretary-General. Dr. Coomaraswamy, renowned for her advocacy in international humanitarian law and her efforts to protect the rights of women and children, shares her insights into the historical ...
Photo courtesy of Oneindia After the shocking fall of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh enters a new era with a non-partisan government headed by US-backed businessman and Nobel laureate, banker Muhammad Yunus. The Hasina regime fell in a massive student-led uprising. Following the end of her rule, the country experienced widespread destruction of sculptures, academies, museums and libraries. The devastation included statues ...
Today is International Day of the World’s Indigenous People The Adivasi, historically known as the Veddas, are considered the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. They have lived on the island for millennia, maintaining a distinct ethnic identity and a way of life that is closely tied to nature. Traditionally, the Adivasi engaged in hunting, fishing and gathering non-timber forest products ...
Photo Courtesy of Daily Mirror A few weeks ago, Sri Lankans were not certain if there would be a presidential election in 2024, with an alleged lack of clarity regarding the term of the president and a government drama, of a bill to amend the president’s term. However, the independent Election Commission was very clear and firm and now we ...
Photo courtesy of The Leader Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey (SLOTS) MRP provisional estimates of Presidential Election voting intent in all adults in June show that support for SJB leader Sajith Premadasa increased to 43% (+4) but decreased for NPP/JVP leader AK Dissanayake to 30% (-6) compared to May. Support for President Ranil Wickremesinghe increased ...
Photos courtesy of Gautham Kumar Today is Sri Lankan Leopard Day On August 1 Sri Lanka celebrates Sri Lankan Leopard Day, which will be observed annually following a proposal from the Wildlife and Nature Preservation Society of Sri Lanka (WNPS), the country’s oldest (and the world’s third oldest) nature protection society. This day aims to highlight the importance of the ...
Photo courtesy of Daily Mirror The latest estimates from Institute for Health Policy’s (IHP) SLOTS MRP model show a decline in all adult voters’ support for NPP/JVP to 26% (-5 compared to the previous month) pushing SJB ahead in June. SJB leads with 38% (+1) support followed by NPP/JVP with SLPP at 16% (+2), UNP at 7% (+1) and ITAK ...
Photo courtesy of Aithiya Today is the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed on July 30 to raise awareness about human trafficking and to promote the rights of trafficking victims. The day was first observed in 2014. This year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has named the theme ...
