The political and military leadership that engineered the defeat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is accused by certain quarters of committing war crimes. They are accused of unlawfully attacking civilians and causing excessive casualties. The legal opinion of International experts however categorically blames the LTTE for the civilian casualties. They argue, if the […]
The hostage situation created in 2009 by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) where 300,000 or more civilians – including children, the infirm and women – were taken as a human shield was a development the world had never before experienced. The Sri Lankan Government (GoSL) embroiled in the final stage of the war […]
Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara was with the Sri Lanka Navy for 35 years. In his long and distinguished career, he witnessed firsthand the ruthlessness of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Their ruthlessness towards their military or political opponents or their civilian targets does not need a special introduction. Yet, the life civilians, especially […]
By liner: Sri Lanka’s Separatist Armed Conflict was the result of two giants vying for regional power, but was prolonged due to our inefficiency and lack of commitment to take appropriate action, charge Hemachandra, a former Navy top ranker. Sarath Hemachandra is a typical Sri Lankan expatriate living in Australia. His brain is with the […]
Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared on January 24, 2010. For some reason, his disappearance triggered an immense interest in the International Community including the UN. When Nisha Biswal visited Sri Lanka, she personally visits his legal wife, Sandya Eknaligoda. Though the roughing of Nation’s associate editor, Keith Noyahr and the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, founder of Sunday […]
Currently, there are nine military intelligence personal (MIP) detained in remand prison over Prageeth Eknaligoda’s (PE) disappearance – a case mired with a number of confounding facts. 1. What has happened to Prageeth Eknaligoda The most confounding is, no one up to date knows exactly what has become of him. The only thing that is […]
As published in Ceylon Today, February 22, 2016 Byliner: As the present Government comprises a number of economic experts, they must explain the situation to the Sri Lankan public and alleviate the grave concerns shared by the investors, stakeholders and the Joint Opposition, says MEP Politburo Member, Yadamini Gunawardena. The economy is heading to […]
On February 10, an agitated Joint Opposition (JO) moved to the Parliament Well, shouting slogans and disturbing the proceedings. The Parliamentary Members from the Government quickly sprang into action and formed a protective barrier around the Prime Minister. Even the female ministers came forward to protect PM. This should attest to the bill debated at […]
The people are agog with sensational, attention-grabbing headlines such as the controversial arrests of Yoshitha Rajapaksa and the General Secretary of Bodu Bala venerable Sena Gnanasara Thera. Yet, Yadamini Gunawardena… explains the more contentious issues that are directly affecting the people are the government’s ultimate plans for the Constitution and its reluctance to hold the […] ...
As published in The Island, August 1, 2011 By Ranil Senanayake Farming in a sustainable, productive manner has been a hallmark of every human tradition that has endured history. There are many traditional farms existent today that have been productive for hundreds of years. Agrarian societies with long histories like those of Sri Lanka, possess […]
As published in Ceylon Today, February 08, 2016 By liner: did the gigantic efforts of the Rajapaksa government to resettle and reconcile the war affected fail to reach the International Community because of the ineffective communication from the Foreign Ministry or due to a Tamil diaspora induced deafness in the International Community? In the article, […]
“Why did the Foreign Ministry not tell the truth and save our country?”, asked the Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena in Parliament when the Sri Lankan Government co-sponsored the UN resolution against Sri Lanka. However, as highlighted in Neville Ladduwahetty’s Sri Lanka’s Armed Conflict, Sri Lanka had always taken a backseat in the diplomatic arena. Even […]
Byliner: we work very hard to accommodate the international community, but they keep changing the goal post, says Gotabaya Rajapaksa We won the war against the terrorists identified by the FBI as the world’s worst. Yet, following the strangest twist of events, we are accused of war crimes amidst concentrated efforts to classify hardcore LTTE […]
Neville Ladduwahetty’s warning that we are courting trouble by calling Eelam War IV a ‘Humanitarian Mission’ when it was essentially an armed conflict has proven prophetic. Compiling his numerous articles on the subject to a book titled, The Armed Conflict, he traces the events which proceeded the annihilation of the terrorists. The Sri Lankan Government […]
The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government ascending to power ushered fresh hope in many. Even the Central Bank Bond Scandal could not shake that hope. Since then, many anti-yahapalana incidents marred this government, but still the Opposition could not budge a vote to their side as evidenced by the August general elections. It was not that they did […]
The new trend, SinhaLe, has caught everyone’s attention. Yamu TV’s Indi Samarajiva observes it as “a sticker… that makes a lot of people uncomfortable… Either you are born Sinhala or not…” Referring to the incident where ‘SinhaLe’ was sprayed on a gate allegedly of a Muslim’s, he rightly pinpoints that it is these actions that […]
Starting from a tattoo on a youth’s arm, the SinhaLe have captured the attention of many. Within a very short span various merchandise with the logo are spotted around Colombo and beyond. From the beginning, not everyone welcomed the sight of it and the recent defacing of properties said to belong to Muslims with the […]
When the founding member of Around the Pearl stands behind the podium and shares with the audience the incredible achievement of his own daughter overcoming the challenge of Cerebral Palsy (CP) and is about to leave home for university, and another shares the challenges his extremely bright 11 year old son faces because he is […]
For nearly 20 years, rice farmers are been dealt with a double whammy. From one end, the Middle Man, like a python, squeezes out even the last grain at the lowest possible price, leaving most farmers in abject poverty. From the other end, a strange malaise has gripped the farming community, leading to kidney failure […]
People may forget the year, but none with a living memory of 2015 will forget Vithiya or Seya. Crime and violence against women and children, especially sexually related, are alarmingly on the rise. As most crimes are unreported and due to inadequate data collection, statistics are hazy. From what is available, it is estimated a […]