This is sickening but utterly unsurprising. Israel and Sri Lanka both see the world in the same way; with a complete disregard for civilians in the “war on terror’. Two terror states deserve each other: Israel President Shimon Peres reiterated that his government was willing to assist Sri Lanka in any area of concern as…
Showing all posts tagged Sri Lanka
Colombo shuns being welcomed into the civilised world
Sri Lanka is experiencing a very public descent into further instability. Today we receive news that the recent opposition presidential candidate, Sareth Fonseka, has been arrested for allegedly planning a military coup. But the real reason may be this (via the Guardian): Hours before his arrest, Fonseka, who himself has been accused of a range…
How Sri Lanka denies evidence of war crimes
A salutary tale about the use and abuse of British laws by Channel 4’s Jon Snow: The scandal of Britain’s libel laws and their facility for libel tourism is well known. So too is our cavalier attitude to freedom of speech. But the idea that a country with one of the worst records for press…
To go or not to go to Galle?
What are the ethical questions involved when visiting a cultural event or literary festival in a country like Sri Lanka? The Galle Literary Festival brings up these very issues. Here’s the brief.
Colombo faces further global isolation
Sri Lanka continues to be a rogue nation, an example to no other country except dictatorships: The Sri Lankan government should end its indefinite arbitrary detention of more than 11,000 people held in so-called rehabilitation centers and release those not being prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 30-page report, “Legal…
Colombo has no understanding what democracy means
Sri Lanka’s past, present and future continues to be clouded by the foul air of corruption and authoritarianism: The newly re-elected government of Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of orchestrating a fresh crackdown on the media after a series of websites were blocked and at least one reporter detained after raising questions about the conduct…
Australia rolls out the welcome mat for war criminal retirees
My following article appears in today’s Crikey: The news that defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate and former army chief Sarath Fonseka may claim temporary asylum in Australia due to fears for his life… is the latest saga in the country’s ongoing tragedy. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith denies that Australian officials in Colombo ever received an…
Sri Lanka keeps on down the path of rampant nationalism
Sri Lanka’s election is now over – the winner is current President Mahinda Rajapaksa – but the country is likely to continue to descend further into an authoritarian state. More on the election here. How many Zionists are still claiming that Sri Lanka is the model for fighting Israel’s war on the Palestinians? Too many.
The Tamil longing for homeland doesn’t end after the war
The Tamils are once again an electoral force in Sri Lanka, despite the atrocities committed against them. But the memory of homeland continues: Shanaathanan Thamotharampillai is a Tamil artist from Sri Lanka who is currently completing his PhD in art history at Jawaharlal Nerhu University, New Delhi. When asked by the curator of the Museum…
Behind the thinking of Tamil Tiger backers
A fascinating story, reported in Canada’s National Post, about the ways in which a handful in the Tamil Diaspora backed, armed and funded Tamil resistance against Sinhalese nationalism in Sri Lanka: Satha Sarachandran was an unlikely international arms dealer. Quiet and studious, he was a software engineer who volunteered at a Toronto youth group. He…