militarisation

A gang of SLFP ministers and parliamentarians, including presidential sibling Basil Rajapaksa were camping in Jaffna last weekend to plan and campaign for the forthcoming civic elections to the town and village councils scheduled to take place in the north on 23 July. Their meetings were also participated by occupying Sri Lanka’s colonial governor Maj. […]

Villagers in the eastern Sri Lankan district of Amapara have been protesting against the moves by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) to acquire their ancestral land in order to establish a new camp.Panama, Kumana, Helawa and Ragamwela residents who have tried to resettle after the war say they were prohibited by the SLN, which the villagers […]

There is a very critical structural shift in policies towards militarization of this country.Unlike in the past we see that the Navy has started a water bottling company.It is taking tourists on whale watching tours in the East. The Air Force is running helicopter services. The Army is selling vegetables. In the same brush that […]

The May 2011 Joint Humanitarian and Early Recovery Update released on June 24th by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) states, that a total of approximately 220,000 persons are still displaced in the ‘former conflict regions’.The highlights of the report as follows:I. Situation overview and highlights – Between 1‐31 May 2011, […]

The country today desperately needs a vigorous civil society that will stand up and speak up for the preservation of our democratic freedoms. These freedoms include not only the freedom of speech and association and equality before the law but also economic and social freedoms as the right to work, to an adequate livelihood and […]

July 3, 2011/ By Franklin R.SatyapalanCommissioner of Elections Mahinda Deshapriya told Political Party Secretaries on Friday that he could take action on hear say or their press releases or news reports in the media exposing any instances of interference by the Army in the election campaign for the forthcoming local elections in the North.The Commissioner […]

Northern and Eastern divisions relatively better, though B’caloa remains major trouble spot July 3, 2011/ By Shamindra FerdinandoIn the post-war era, Batticaloa police division has logged the highest number of incidents among the Northern and Eastern divisions for two consecutive years.Police sources told The Island that in spite of dawn of peace Batticaloa division remained […]

The next day (last) Sunday morning, his blood-drenched body was hanging from a goal post in a playground in Putur, just two kilometres from his home. It bore torture marks. The nails of fingers in both hands had been plucked out, Jaffna Judicial Medical Officer (JMO), Dr. S. Sivaruban, testified at the post-mortem inquiry. He […]

Jayalalithaa, who had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, last month handed over to the latter a 24-page memorandum. It begins with references to Sri Lanka. She is seeking the return of Kachchativu, an island in the Palk Straits, the seas that divide India and Sri Lanka. Here are the relevant highlights: Memorandum […]

Will Pullukkulam in Jaffna town area be given to the business activities of the majority community? Efforts for such grabbing have started.Many places in the North and East in Sri Lanka especially in Jaffna have been taken possession by the majority community. These places are used for building star hotels and posh restaurants. It is […]

Recent activities shows that, Sri Lanka is moving to dictatorship. There is a dangerous situation developing. The first is, wherever the people try to live, the military camps there. It is there on each street corner and it is very difficult to their development and people cant do anything with out military intervention. Further than […]

Soldiers stationed in the North have been intruding into the everyday affairs of the public and offer arbitrary mediation in affairs unwarranted of them. This has created an anxiety among the public.Soldiers stationed in the North have been intruding into the everyday affairs of the public and offer arbitrary mediation in affairs unwarranted of them. […]

 Commanding chief of the East Major General Boniface Perera at a special media briefing held yesterday at Deavar Hall, Batticaloa referring to yesterday’s Bank heist at Batticaloa said , this robbery is not only a threat to the security not only of Batticaloa , but of the entire Island.‘After one and half years , looting […]

1 July 2011/wswsDespite disruptive actions by the military and the police in the military-occupied city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, workers, youth and housewives participated in a well-attended June 19 public meeting organised by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) on “The Middle East upheavals and the theory of the permanent revolution.”Two days before the […]

01 July 2011 Certain armed elements are hiding behind political parties in the Eastern Province and we will take steps to disarm them, Eastern Commander Major General Boniface Perera saidHe expressed these views at a meeting held between General Mangers and Political party representatives of the eastern province in the aftermath of the recent Batticaloa […]

The war is over and the enemy was slain nearly three years ago. Why a new Defence Headquarters at Rs.20 billion. If the good of the country is that mattered the focus should be on a much smaller defence enclave. You cannot fool the people all the time – even the short-memoried gullible variety we […]

by Ranga JayasuriyaOn Thursday (23) in Kilinochchi, the military dispersed a group of frail men and women who had gathered to get information on the whereabouts of their missing relatives. The protestors, many of who were ageing Tamil mothers and fathers who were clutching pictures of their missing children, had assembled at Depot junction, Kilinochchi, […]

Thursday, 30 June 2011/ By Olindhi Jayasundere The Defence Ministry has asked flower and plant exhibitors and sellers at the Vihara Maha Devi Park to vacate the area by tomorrow because of plans to beautify the City of Colombo. The Vihara Maha Devi Floral Exhibition Organisers Consortium which has a membership of 400 flower and plant […]

26 June 2011,  by Sumanasiri Liyanage TNA67b Both print and electronic media in Sri Lanka and abroad have reported that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party meeting held in Jaffna was attacked by an armed group in uniforms on Thursday 16 June. It was also reported that a number of TNA parliamentarians were present at […]

Sunday, 26 June 2011 20:12 The Army Headquarters today said it had not given any assurance to anyone with regard to the registration of Tamils in the North. Issuing a statement with reference to the Daily Mirror June 21 story titled ‘Registration of Tamils in North to be stopped’, in which ‘an assurance’ has been […]

25 June 2011 / BY Tisaranee Gunasekara“This disposition to admire, and almost worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or at least, to neglect, persons of poor and mean condition…is the great and most universal cause of corruption of our moral sentiments.” – Adam Smith (The Theory of Moral Sentiments)Bucket-lavatories are unheard of […]

Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) General Secretary said that the attack on Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in Jaffna shows that the local government elections in the north of Sri Lanka will be held under military rule. In a protest held in Colombo against the attack on a TNA gathering in Tellipalai on the 16th […]

by D.B.S. Jeyaraj “Sinhalaisation” of North continues. Tamil village in Vavuniya district re-settled with Sinhalese without knowledge of district administration half. Kokkachchaankulam is a Tamil village in Vedivaithakallu GS div under Nedunkerny divisional secretary in the Vavuniya North Piradesha sabhai.Kokkachchaankulam can be reached via Semamadu, Oothukulam & Ariyakundam. Nedunkerny can be reached from Kokkachchaankulam via […]

by Saman IndrajithUNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday alleged that the UPFA government was rapidly moving towards what he called a dictatorial rule.Addressing the media in the Parliamentary complex, the Opposition Leader said that the country was heading towards a dangerous situation due to the readiness on the part of the government to […]

20 June 2011 It is reported that financially ruined Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is to commission the three forces, Army, Navy and Air Force to maintain and provide security three cricket stadiums – Sooriyawewa, Kettarama and Pallekele.According to the report, the Sri Lanka Navy is to be given Sooriyawewa to maintain, the Army  – Pallekele […]

June 23, 2011  Prime Minister D.M. Jayarathne today presented a supplementary budget for Rs. 20 billion for the construction of the Defence Headquaters in Akuregoda, Battaramulla. Accordingly the Ministry of Defence, Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Army Headquarters along with Headquarters of Air force and Navy will be relocated.The land where the Ministry […]

23 June 2011 Security forces continue to obstruct the agitation of parents whose children have been disappeared and organized by ‘We are Sri Lankans’ organization in Killinochchi today (23rd) says Member of the Executive Committee of the organization Udul Premaratne.‘We are Sri Lankans’ Organization accuses that a group of army men who had arrived from […]

 registration documents 22 June 2011 People Dissatisfied – GTN reporter Registration activities in the Jaffna peninsula continue without any changes, despite Jaffna. Commander Major General Hathurusinghe’s announcing that registration activities in the peninsula are suspended.It is reported that registration activities continue in Valikamam, Vadamaraachchi and in many other areas. Though registration procedure has somewhat lessened […]

20.June.2011There had emerged another grave report from Matara today (20) about the Rajapakse regime’s militarization of the South in addition to the North. Early morning today (5.15 a m.), a group of Army officers who descended on the Matara municipal council had made the health protection workers to line up . They have also summoned […]

A number of user reports from Sri Lanka indicate that Groundviews is now blocked on Sri Lanka Telecom ADSL broadband Internet connections. It also appears that Vikalpa, our partner site that publishes critical content in Sinhala, is also blocked. Further, the website of Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is also blocked. Content and comments published […]