The LLRC and the prospects of reconcilation in Sri Lanka

It is now over three years since the LTTE was decisively defeated by the Government of Sri Lanka. Since then the government and the international community have been grappling with the issue of winning peace, addressing the causes which gave rise to the deadly conflict, issues of accountability, and reconciliation. 

China factor reaches crisis level - Editorial

Since independenc e, Sri Lanka has maintained a balanced foreign policy. So much so that in 1976 the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Government had the privilege of hosting the Non-Aligned-Movement summit attended by leaders of more than 75 countries.

Syria is not Libya; it may explode region-wide

Kofi Annan, until recently the UN and Arab League envoy for Syria, has warned, “Syria is not Libya — it will not implode, it will explode...

Editorial - Act fast for reconciliation

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, opening the Defence Seminar 2012, said much progress had been made since the end of the war in the five...

Hunting down the war criminals

There can be no question that if President Bashar al-Assad of Syria falls the International Criminal Court will want to put him on trial for war crimes...

People’s belief in the opposition is doubtful - - Harin Fernando

UNP MP Harin Fernando spoke to the Daily Mirror on the upcoming provincial Council elections and the conflict within the UNP, as well as the various accusations being levelled against the leader of the UNP. The MP from the Badulla district also discusses the pressures of being a young MP.

Absence of a National Ideology of Reconciliation

There are many views about what we must achieve in post-war Sri Lanka.  There appears to be a general acceptance that reconciliation among the various ethnic groups in the country is of topmost priority.

Let’s get back to local fresh milk - Editorial

With the unprecedented drought and the sharp decline in the value of the rupee sending the cost of living soaring to levels beyond the reach of millions, the Government needs to take effective measures to bring down the cost of living by encouraging local production.

Implementation of the LLRC recommendations needs to be expanded

An eagerly awaited National Action Plan (NAP) or the road map to implement the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC report of 2011 November) was tabled in July 2012 by the presidential Secretariat and also made available for the general public two days later. 

Should We Remake Old Mistakes?

Independent Ceylon was just a few months old when she won her first ever silver medal at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. For the new nation it would have been a proud moment; and a propitious omen of triumphs to come.

Bold shake-up in Egypt

The brazen attack by militants in Sinai came as a shock for all. But for Mohamed Mursi, it was nothing short of a golden opportunity.

Editorial - Militarization myths

Time and again, the purpose of retaining army camps in the liberated North is vehemently questioned. It was, in fact, one of the sensitive nerves pricked by the US allied countries during the UNHRC sessions earlier this year, where the former passed a resolution against the island nation. 

Women in aftermath of war

Peace activist Lillian Wald once said that women, more than men, have the ability to strip war of its glamour - its outdated heroisms, patriotisms and perceive it for what it really is; a demon of destruction and hideous wrong.

The Rise of Far-Right Extremism: Is the West Complacent?

The West is confronted with a new enemy. The face of this enemy is that of a familiar one, and is no alien to the Western soil unlike Islamic extremism that was imported from across the continent. The new enemy is an indigenous phenomenon which has been lurking under the surface for years,

Essentials of Post-Conflict Resolution & India’s Concerns

Today, Tamil families no more fear the so-called Tigers’ forced recruitment of their children, disruption of their education, and various forms of brutalization and abuses. The extortion of funds from civilians to finance the terrorist operations of the LTTE has also ended.

A new dawn

Libya is in a midst of a momentous power transition. The interim National Transitional Council, by handing over power to the newly elected constituent assembly, will institutionalise genuine representation in the strife-torn country.

Editorial - Work to put on the new self

Most of us have worked for material comfort and financial security, yet there could be deep emptiness within. We believe that if we have what the affluent enjoy, then we too would be happy. Yet the bitter truth has shown that generally the rich and the powerful have to contend with psychological upheavals

SL Consultant whose love for all things civil in aviation kept him away from politics

This is an interview with a Sri Lankan consultant who served this country first, then received international recognition in Singapore and the Middle East. Dayanthe is publicity shy, but I got him talking with just a simple question. Hardly anyone remembers all the technical first’s you introduced to the infrastructure of Sri Lanka’s aviation.

Peace process after the polls?

With the polity busy with alliance-formation, candidate selection and campaigning for the three Provincial Council polls, no one is talking about the post-war peace talks aimed at a political solution to the vexatious ethnic issue. Neither is the Government talking about the Parliamentary

Back to basics harnessing wind power

It is a universally acknowledged fact that in a country where the main source behind power and energy is water, droughts and lack of rain can create a huge crisis in the nation’s power and energy system which distributes electricity. Sri Lanka has been serving as a witness to this fact for a very long time now:

DEMOCRATIsING RECONCILIATION

The residue of the three decade conflict is manifest in the fractured communities where suspicion, distrust, fear and accusation are rife. Following the conclusion of the war, the need has arisen for regaining trust and confidence whilst renegotiating values of coexistence between and within communities.

Editorial - SL should live up to India’s gratitude

India’s Janatha Party Leader Dr. Subramanian Swamy said on Friday that the people of India recognise defeating the LTTE as a contribution to their national security. He also said the war victory of the Lankan armed forces should be commended with the highest national award.

Reconciliation the core principles

Reconciliation is a subject which is of critical importance for Sri Lanka at the present juncture and the last nine months have seen significant events that are critical to the success of the post armed conflict recovery and peace-building initiatives that we are engaged in.

Editorial - Beware: Pride goes before a fall

Even elections now appear to be more an exercise in demagogy and deception than democracy. The National Bhikku Organisation, like so many other independent civic action movements, lamented recently the next month’s provincial elections, instead of being conducted in a free

LIFE AND TIMES OF KETHEESWARAN - "KETHEESH" LOGANATHAN

Ketheeswaran Loganathan called generally as “Ketheesh” was  assassinated  six years ago on August 12th  exactly one year after Lakshman Kadirgamar was killed. With his departure one more Tamil who wanted his people to live with equal rights in a united Lanka and championed that cause

Mars: The soft power mystery, mayhem and political myths

A few minutes after 11 a.m. Sri Lanka time on Monday, television sets across the world beamed pictures of United States scientists at the NASA...

Nothing ever happens in Sweden!

If all the world were like Sweden there would be no news to report. The last time that Sweden hit the front page was when its foreign minister, Anna...

Remembering Lakshman Kadirgamar

It is seven years since a Hero of our times; Lakshman Kadirgamar was felled by a cowardly LTTE assassin’s bullet. LTTE terrorists which targeted...

Editorial - Blank cheques for high-level crooks

Like a malignant cancer, unchecked and unprecedented corruption is killing the country. For instance, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, which...

Development needs to be the development of righteousness

Q:There have been a number of reports of child abuse in recent months, do you think that the responsibility of curtailing these incidents lies in the hands of the police and that they are doing enough to control the situation?