Do I know what it means… To stand in the queue as a mere 13 year old, Collecting charity for my younger brother and widowed and aching mother, a  wound in my stomach which hurts and oozes. With no one to care for the pain To live on, not knowing why or the reason or meaning of hope. Do I know what it means… To be orphaned  – a helpless little child playing with others like myself, Without...

By Michael Roberts Article from Frontline, 6-19 June 2009 “One can win the War, but lose the Peace.” Cliché this may be, but it also a hoary truism that looms over the post-war scenario in Sri Lanka. The triumphant Sri Lankan government now has to address the human terrain rather than the fields of battle. In facing this challenge both government and concerned people must attend to another...

Michael Moore in his bitingly satirical book ‘Dude Where’s My Country?’ refers to Osama bin Laden and asks “Who’s his travel agent? Well, the same can be asked about Kumaran Tharmalingam alias Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP who was appointed head of ‘LTTE International’ by Velupillai Prabakaran in January 2009.  Michael Moore asks the question a bit late in the day and considering what...

Last week Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) filed a fundamental rights case, citing President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Competent Authority for Northern Province G.A. Chandrasiri as respondents. Excerpt from the article from The Hindu (14th June 09):  The petition said the IDPs had begun arriving in government-controlled areas in March 2009. “These IDPs are housed...

Today I was watching Anderson Cooper’s show AC360 in which he was speaking about the shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. As mentioned by many during the program there are many in the US who still believe in white supremacy. The statistics of these groups are alarming. Many think America changed with a African American president well think again. From some of the...

A visit to the Madhu Church as a little boy still remains faintly in my thoughts. This is nothing compared to the experiences my parents had when they were young. My mother still recalls how my grandfather used to take them on the Dragon Rapide as little children to Jaffna and the how my uncle thought the Rassum dish was the finger bowl and nearly washed his hands in it. The last visit during peaceful...

I received this email from a good friend of mine living in Canada. I wanted to feature him on this blog for his contribution and this is the response I received “Hey, I’d rather you didn’t given the situ for Sinhalese in Canda at the moment. Its not just me who might be targeted but my wife and kid too. It is pretty tense right now and I’d rather not be an object for any idiot(they...

In an interview with The Economic Times India (ET) Jim Rogers mentions that the present situation in Sri Lanka will be conducive to investors. Excerpt from the interview - “ET – You recently said that you would invest in China and Sri Lanka but not in India. Aren’t you betting on the new government in India? I was trying to make a point that if anyone wants to invest in this particular...

Over the past few weeks the famed battle of the great king Dutugamunu and Ellara was re lived by many. The LTTE also used Elara (Ellalan in tamil) to identify their armed wing the “Ellalan Force”. In my view the present day Sri Lankan (Tamil or Sinhala) has forgotten the greatness of both kings. King Ellara was a fair and impartial king unlike his present misleadingly claimed counterpart...

We  require a visible shift from sympathy for the IDPs to an affirmation  of  their  rights and  dignity as Sri Lankans, said Bishop of Colombo Rt.  Rev.  Duleep de Chickera in a statement issued yesterday. This  shift  should  be  accompanied  with  a  multi-task  approach  towards  recovery   and normalcy,  he  added.  “Two  priorities  of  screening  and  counselling ...