Category Archives: Sri Lanka

By Jonathan Miller A meeting in the City of London, due to have been addressed earlier by the president of Sri Lanka, was cancelled Wednesday, because of demonstrations by Tamil rights groups. But [President] Mahinda Rajapakse – whose presidency has been tainted by persistent allegations of war crimes committed by Sri Lankan armed forces – still attended a lunch for the Queen, hosted by the Commonwealth secretary general at Marlborough House on Pall Mall. The president was meant to first give a keynote speech at a special Diamond Jubilee meeting of the Commonwealth Economic Forum. On its website, the event’s organisers, the Commonwealth Business Council, simply stated that “After careful … Continue reading →

By Edward Mortimer Since the end of its civil war against the ruthless Tamil Tigers (LTTE) in 2009, the Sri Lankan regime’s own reputation for ruthlessness has grown. At its heart are the three Rajapaksa brothers – President Mahinda, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya (“Gota”) and Economic Development Minister Basil – controlling a formidable military force that has quashed all resistance and committed many grave human rights abuses. For the Tamil and Muslim minorities, the end of the war has been marked by further discrimination and alienation. But for many who belong to the country’s majority Sinhalese community, government restrictions on personal freedoms and the relentless militarisation of the island have seemed … Continue reading →

By Nalaka Rupasinghe “‘Budu Sir mava maranna epa mata podi daruvek innava’ –My lords don’t kill me I have a little son.” The locals heard Gayan’s screaming in agony while he was being beaten in the Dompe police barracks.  Around midnight, his dead body was handed over to the local hospital.  His murder sparked violent protests in the district of Gampaha.  Police claimed the suspect died after jumping from a speeding jeep in an attempt to escape from the them. Less than a week, after the massive protest in Dompe against that police murder, another suspect, Lalith Susantha Peiris, (32) was killed this week at the hands of the Moratuwa … Continue reading →