Tamil National Alliance AND LLRC

Whatever one may think of the LLRC and NORAD reports, it is incontrovertible that two of the three major players in the last stage of the Sri Lankan conflict have undertaken and undergone a preliminary audit of sorts—the Sri Lankan state and the Norwegians– while the third (and the second in importance) has not, and not even thought to. There has been no equivalent from within the Tamil civil society or the ‘Tamil nationalist mo

Maldives: 'Islam' becoming an election issue?

Two events in as many weeks, and the Maldives has been making news, both on the home front and in the global arena, for reasons that had been better left untouched. Coming as they did after the successful SAARC Summit in the southern Addu City, these developments have the potential to become a major political and poll issue ahead of the presidential elections of 2013, if the current trends remain un-reversed.

Will there ever be a ‘Tahrir Square’ in SL?

When the Arab countries were swept away by a wave of revolution, there was very little hope that the winds will shift and a breeze of it would blow this way. Yet, it was a distant dream too unreal to come true when people whose individual desires and requirements were prioritized over those that we require and aspire as a nation. In fact, it is against this pathetic backdrop, that those who raise their cries against injustice and the prevailing

LLRC: DELIVERING ON GRIEVANCES

Following the release of the much looked forward to report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, many positive inputs on the possible means to resolving the national question have resurfaced. The Daily Mirror spoke to several politicians and members of the civil society on the LLRC report, ethnic grievances and the path to peace.

RESULTS OF VIRUS RESEARCH GIVES U.S.COLD FEET

The United States government, which funded two teams of scientists to research if the H5N1 influenza virus has the potential to trigger a pandemic, has developed cold feet — after reviewing papers containing detailed descriptions of the lethal strains. The papers have already been sent to two journals, “Nature” and “Science”.

LLRC:AN INEVITABLE REMINDER OF APRC

The final report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) was presented to President Mahinda Rajapaksa and in turn it was tabled in Parliament by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva last week. It is not clear as to what the lesson or the lessons the government learnt with the report and what it is going to do with it now, in order to bring about reconciliation among various communities in the country.

The LLRC: has it served its purpose?

After months of anticipation the report by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was finally released to the...

iraq: They came, they saw, then hell

A war that began with lies, damn lies and weapons of mass deception is supposed to have ended with another heap of lies. 

‘I am the people’s man’: Dayasiri Jayasekera

Q: Why did you and Karu Jayasuriya lose the UNP election? There were 20 odd people who were given appointments last week, before the election. I think this was the first working committee meeting attended by any of these individuals. In that very first meeting they had to vote for Ranil or Karu, Sajith or Ravi, Dayasiri or Daya and they knew nothing about the real situation in the working committee.

UNP Leadership and a secret ballot

‘It is a clear sign that our leader is deemed fit and suitable to lead the party.’ UNP MP D.M. Swaminathan A total of 94 members including the parliamentary group and working committee members voted for the three top party positions. The Present leader Ranil Wickremesinghe won by an overwhelming majority. It is a very clear sign that our leader is deemed fit and suitable to lead the party although many criticisms levelled against hi

Cairo at tipping point

The continuing unrest in Egypt is deeply disturbing. The military’s Ruling Council is being blamed for using excessive force against protesters especially women.  However, the question is if the protesters can be exempted from blame, considering the vandalism and lawlessness that has been witnessed over the past many days.

Towards a UN without US

The United Nations, since the collapse of Soviet Russia (USSR) and the end of cold war was more or less functioning as an arm of United States of America. During the last 20 years this situation prevailed at the UN climate Change negotiations as well. Climate Change threatens all living species on earth. The climate negotiations started way back in 1990 and climate talks continued for a 20 year period across 17 climate summits without any signifi

Double-dip crisis and Asia’s post-Durban rise

It was a sunny day with clear skies. The aircraft, having taken off from Dubai and being airborne for about nine hours, was nearing its destination. The bird’s eye view, I had through the window of the descending aircraft been fascinating. There, I saw a vast stretch of sandy beach towards which dark blue waters of the Indian Ocean, cruising relentlessly and creating milky waves of some pattern. At last, the aircraft made a perfect touchdow

Spree of brutal killings and suicides: what is the cause?

Last Saturday night, a family of four, including three women, were hacked to death inside their house in the Katiyawa area in Eppawala. This was not the first such incident reported in the recent past. The tendency for brutal killings has risen as suspects do not fear the prevailing laws or the police. According to many reports and analysis, lack of capital punishment has led people to commit such crimes: criminals are certain that if they are

The expired ‘new’ report

The report of the ‘Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission’ (LLRC) was presented by the government to Parliament last Friday. The government has opened its ‘magic box’ which it claimed had answers to all the accusations that were levelled against it during the two-and-a-half year period since the end of the war. However, this has been exposed before society as just an empty box that could not perform any tricks.

Your Voice - Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Sri Lanka!

So I don't quite understand what's your article to do with Islam and shari'a? Women are first class citizens in Islam.

Learnt Lessons, Commissioned Reconciliation

N Sathiya Moorthy By tabling the much talked-about LLRC Report in Parliament without further ado and delays, the Government may have put a stop to avoidable speculation and expectation in the matter. It has also set out what the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was capable of delivering under the circumstances, and what it was inherently ill-equipped to handle.

REMEMBERING THE APRC EXPERT PANEL “MAJORITY” REPORT

The on going dialogue between Government and Tamil National Alliance delegations has seen agreement on a number of issues although areas of disagreement receive wider publicity in the media.

Quality education still elusive

The key finding in a recent study that even top schools in major cities in India suffer from the entrenched tendency to impart rote learning may have some shock value to those who believe that private educational institutions place greater emphasis on quality and holistic education.

2012: WHICH TURN WILL IT TAKE?

Those two little friends of mine, Channa and Anura, have ears glued to the ground. Intelligent and perceptive they are my reliable weathermen. Both are basically apolitical and boldly patriotic. They worked relentlessly to ensure the victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa passionately in 2005 and gratefully in 2009. The message they delivered is often heard. Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) is in the early days of developing pains. It shows signs of becoming acutely

No reason for delay of full LLRC report

We welcome the news that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has submitted its final report to H E President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Friday Forum supported the LLRC process fully and expressed their faith in the Commission being able to present a report of value addressing issues of terrorism, accountability, national reconciliation and peace with dignity and equality for all Sri Lankans.

What Killed The Consensual Agreements In The Past?

By Gnana Moonesinghe The end of war did not envelope the country in peace nor is it practical to expect this to happen so soon after the termination of hostilities.  Yet the expectation that the termination of hostilities will bring about energized and speedy attempts to bring about conditions that spell normalcy for the people.  To make it operative political processes that restore civilian administration has to be revived, new or old

Wastage behind the plastics debate?

The plastic crate regulation introduced by the Consumer Affairs Authority under the Ministry of Trade ran into hot water in the past couple of days, leading to the President intervening to allow for a 30-day grace period for the full imposition of the law. Minister of...

Durban debacle: Doomsday is not far away

Rich countries seldom compromise their national interests for the greater good of the world at large. This was the moral of the Durban climate summit which ended achieving only a postponement.

Road Improvement is Necessary but Is it Sufficient?

We hear and read about the colossal amount of foreign and local funds being invested in improving the road network in the country. Successive governments and policy makers have attached high priority to infrastructure development, especially the

NELUM POKUNA PERFORMANCE ARTS THEATRE OPENS TODAY

Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Sri Lanka!

By Ameena Hussein Last weekend I received a call from a friend who was understandably outraged. On the way to her estate to join her husband who had been working there for some days, she was instructed by him to stop and buy a bottle of old arrack en route.

A federal constitution is the best for our country

Q: There is a widely held perception that the judiciary of this country is politicised and that personal biases often hinder the judicial process. Do you agree with the view that the judiciary has lost its independence, and if so, how can the situation be rectified?

The Prime Minister’s call will exacerbate Horizontal Inequality in Sri Lanka

By Harsha de Silva The statement by the Prime Minister that wheat flour imports should be banned is an irresponsible statement and must be retracted.  While it may be his choice to consume only rice, or he wishes more people in this country ate rice, he must be made aware that some people in Sri Lanka are totally dependent on wheat flour.

Right of Way: a story yet to be told

By Priyanthi Fernando There has been a great deal written in the media about the E01, or the Southern Expressway since its official opening at the end of last month. Built at a cost of Rs. 80 billion, primarily with loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the Southern Highway is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, and has been declared a milestone in Sri Lanka’s history.