A new narrative for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka by Dr. K. Mukunthan Sri Lanka appears to be a country in transition. Some amongst us question the sincerity of the government or the impact these purported changes will have on the Tamil community. How far and deep these changes are to address the long-standing Tamil national question? Considering the historic trust deficit the Tamil community has on the governments or even the State of Sri Lanka, such questions appear reasonable. But an objective analysis of the present reality in…
Read MoreDay: 24 January 2016
I am called a controversial Bishop because there are ‘controversial’ issues taking place
By D.B.S.Jeyaraj. A news report from the Vatican Information Service(VIS) datelined January 14th 2016 stated that His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation presented by Bishop Rayappu Joseph upon reaching the age limit, from the pastoral care of the diocese of Mannar, Sri Lanka.The VIS report further said that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Joseph Kingsley…
Read MoreFind our loved ones – People urge TNA
Find our loved ones – People urge TNA BY Mirudhula Thambiah A statement made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at a Thai Pongal event in Jaffna recently, seems to have enraged the relatives and friends of missing persons, and motivated them to agitate more towards pressurizing the government to find their loved ones. The Prime Minister said the majority of the missing persons should be considered deceased. There was widespread condemnation of the remark by the relatives, and they turned their anger towards the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which received…
Read MoreGovt. launches two pronged diplomatic offensive ahead of UN Rights chiefs visit
Confident compromise mechanism to investigate war crimes can be worked out Minority communities’ human rights to be protected Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein by Zacki Jabbar In the run up to the UN Human Rights Commissioner Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein’s scheduled visit to Sri Lanka prior to the June deadline that his organization has set for Sri Lanka to establish an independent domestic mechanism to investigate war crimes allegations, the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government has launched a diplomatic offensive aimed at both the local and international community. The local initiative came in the form of…
Read MoreSL on track for GSP Plus but a long way to go: EU Envoy
Sri Lanka has not yet made a formal application for the GSP Plus trade facility and “there is still a lot that has to be done” before it can be considered, said Ambassador and Head of Delegation to the European Union (EU) to Sri Lanka David Daly. Similarly the country has made advances on governance, human rights and reconciliation, but there remains “an awful lot” to do in transforming “the many excellent commitments” made over the past few months to progress on the ground. “If you look at significant things…
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