militarisation

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 […]

Lankan students have to undergo rigorous workout to get into varsitiesby Chandani KirindeSalvage a heavy vehicle stuck in mud, complete a 5-km march in 45 minutes and do push ups and run obstacle courses. This is not part of the curriculum for those training to join the Sri Lankan military or the police, but a […]

Last week  the NGO secretariat took over the control of the Puttalam based non governmental organization, the Community Trust Fund (CTF) over alleged mismanagement and corruption. NGO secretariat comes under the defence ministry This is the first time an  non Tamil NGO has been taken over by the NGO secretariat/defense ministry  over allegations, without any […]

by Mangala Samaraweera The ineptitude of the present regime in the face of intensifying and relentless international pressure is driving Sri Lanka further and further into isolation and is likely to have devastating effects for this country’s prospects for rebuilding and reconciliation in the post-conflict phase. The release of the Channel 4 documentary on Sri Lanka, […]

ITUC to agitate membership protest, demands Govt. immediately withdraw Pension Fund BillAn international grouping of trade unions has vehemently hit out at the recent unrest at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (KFTZ) that left a worker killed and scores injured, calling upon its 300 plus membership to launch individual protests against the Government of Sri […]

TAMILS TREATED AS ABOROGINES IN LANKA NOWVeerasingham Anandasangaree, the TULF president and  a long standing Tamil politician  was perhaps the most vocal critic of the LTTE,  among the old school Tamil political leadership, even during the hey days of the LTTE. Anandasangaree, once hailed by the government, as a ‘moderate’ Tamil voice, now cautions that […]

“We still live under military rule. Unless the President takes any action, we will seriously think about co-operating with the government on anything. The military should not interfere in such political matters.  Only, the police must be empowered to do so.” – TNA 17 June 2011/By Kelum BandaraThe Tamil National Alliance (TNA) today sought intervention […]

15 June 2011 / Despite having a court order preventing civilians in the North from being forcefully registered, groups of Army men in civics have taken photographs of people in the Kalviyamkadu area in the North and obtained details regarding their families.The Army men in civics visited residences in Kalviyamkadu on the 13th to photograph […]

Great controversy and concern surrounds the ‘leadership’ training programme designed by the Ministry of Defence for under graduate students, conducted in around 28 military installations around the country. As the Young Researchers Collective recently noted on Groundviews, “Although the government has stated that this will be a leadership training program rather than a military training […]

The 18th Amendment, we were told, would make the President more accountable to Parliament. The Editorial of the Sunday Observer noted back in the day, By making it mandatory for the President to attend Parliament at least once in three months to answer questions by MPs, the 18th Amendment has not only made a vital […]

13 June 2011/ by Nirmalan DhasIn General, The imposition of this leadership training program or any training program on the human community – with the exception of programs that train people to resist programming – is likely to interfere with the free evolutionary development of human being and therefore deserves to be resisted.The education system […]

9th June 2011The decision in the Supreme Court dismissing, without stating reasons, all the petitions against the programme, has made it all the more important to have a public discussion on its relevance and impact on the university system.  The Friday Forum expresses its deep concern in regard to both the manner in which this […]

Navraj Parthiban /29 September 2010Sinhalization efforts now take place targeting the Hindu temples of Vanni. Buddha statues which have started the invasion of targeting the lands of Vanni are more like the modern invading army of Mahinda Rajapaksa.Sinhalization efforts now take place targeting the Hindu temples of Vanni. Buddha statues which have started the invasion […]

The funeral of Roshane, the FTZ worker took place Saturday the 4th of June. It was well planned by the government, Not challenged by any means by the TUC ( Trade union congress ) and Opposition Political parties.The Catholic church played a good role supporting and in defence of the government. The church and specially […]

09 June 2011All ministers and parliamentarians from the Ampaa’rai district seem to collaborate with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and they have no backbones to challenge the injustice done to Tamil and Muslim people based on ethnic, religious and language basis by the Colombo government, said Mr. P. Selvarajah, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian representing […]

09 June 2011,More than three hundred youths of both sexes have been reported disappeared after abduction in the Batticaloa district since the eastern province was brought under the control of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), said Mr.P. Selvarasa, district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian during the debate on the extending the State of Emergency for […]