militarisation

We were allowed to proceed after a Tamil speaking person from the army in civil attire was allowed to sit among us and under the condition that copies of the presentations should be given to him. Soldiers were moving around the hall peeping in on the meeting. As we left, our names, identity card numbers […]

May 30, 2011 Sri Lanka is to hold an international seminar starting Tuesday to share lessons on its bloody defeat of Tamil rebels, but major nations have declined to send delegations amid war crime allegations.The island’s government said the massive military offensive that finally defeated the Tamil Tigers two years ago was a victory over terrorism, […]

Trade unions have threatened to go on a general strike at several Free Trade Zones in the country if the police fail to release some garment factory workers arrested today following a protest.Trade union activist and JVP member Wasantha Samarasinghe told reporters that the police will be given a deadline to release all those arrested […]

Outdoor thrills and hazards give edge to pre-campus leadership training at Army camps. Nadia Fazlulhaq reportsWild elephants, snakes and ravenous mosquitoes are some of the natural challenges that university students have had to face in their first week of leadership training at Army camps around the country. Hardly five days into their training and students, followed […]

28 May 2011 /by Tisaranee Gunasekara “When an opponent says, ‘I will not come over to your side’, I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already’” Hitler (Speech in November 1933)According to the Education Secretary, principals will have to undergo ‘Leadership training’ at the Rantambe camp: “If the Principal is weak that will be […]

May 25, 2011: The Ministry of Education has decided to provide school principals with a three (3) month leadership training programme. Secretary to the Ministry of Education H.M. Gunasekara said  at a function today that 1000 principals at schools which are being developed with several facilities, will undergo this training at the Rantambe camp.“If the […]

25 May 2011The military tried to stop a sport meet taking place in Vadamarachchi saying permission had not been obtained from the army and this had created a tense situation in the area.All arrangements had been completed and the sports meet of Nethaji sports club in Kothiyaladi, Valvettithurai was about to start. The club’s flag […]

25 May 2011Genocidal Sri Lanka’s ‘reconciliation’ in Vanni, abetted by its international partners is building huge Buddhist stupas there, while keeping Eezham Tamil natives in cloth tents. If building Buddhist establishments and new Sinhala-military townships in Vanni is the job of the state and re-building houses for the war-ravaged people and providing them with ‘milk […]

25 May, 2011For the second time in a fortnight, subscribers to the Daily Mirror newspaper have been entreated to an interesting disinformation campaign that appears to be conducted with those embedded within, and possibly with the full support of the Sri Lankan Army and its network of patriots.The full page ad above was published on […]

Feizal SamathJust as government troops prepared this week to celebrate the second anniversary of the decimation of Tamil separatist rebels, thousands of young, new entrants to national universities across Sri Lanka on Monday began entering military camps for a three-week training course that has triggered an intense debate as to whether the country is heading […]

23 May 2011, 8:31 pmThe Friday Forum has demanded that the government ensure that city planning and urban development activities are carried out within a transparent process which takes into account the concerns of people in regard to their homes and property.“We are particularly disturbed at the use of uniformed services personnel to deliver communications […]

24 May 2011The northeast coast of the Jaffna and Mullaiththeevu districts of the country of Eezham Tamils, from Kat-koava’lam in Point Pedro to Mullaiththeevu is encroached in recent days by hundreds of Sinhala fishermen supported by occupying Sri Lanka’s Army and fisheries officials. Exploitation of the catch of sea cucumber for the season is said […]

The Friday Forum, a group of intellectuals had issued a statement expressing concerns at the steps taken for accelerated development of the city of Colombo.They say the group was formed to consider current issues of public interest with a view to making a contribution to peace, democracy, good governance and social justice in Sri Lanka.“We […]

May 23, 2011,  The Bar Association of Sri Lanka yesterday condemned the assault on the District Judge of Matara by army personnel on Sunday (22).The BASL called upon the IGP and the Commander of Army to bring those suspected of having participated in the assault before the Law. It urged the Secretary to the Ministry […]

Invited Countries Should Stay Home, Press for Accountability May 23, 2011  This conference is nothing more than a public relations exercise to whitewash abuses. No professional, law-abiding military should take part in this farce.      -Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch (New York) – Governments should decline the invitation to attend a Sri […]

24 May 2011By Susitha R. FernandoFive separate fundamental rights applications were filed in the Supreme Court yesterday by the Ceylon Teachers Union and four students who secured university entrance this year challenging the leadership training at army camps for students entering the university.The applications were filed by four students – R. M. Subani Pabasala Ratnayake, […]

If the government does not want to resolve this issue through negotiations by blindly accepting the views of the Treasury Secretary, the university system and the country would definitely lose its best scientists, engineers and medical people who cannot be replaced easily. If the government adopts at least pragmatic perspective taking into consideration its own […]

22 May 2011, The occupying genocidal Army of Sri Lanka targets Nalloor, the former capital of the Kingdom of Jaffna, for focusing its agenda of Sinhalicisation of the country of Eezham Tamils in the island, news sources in Jaffna said. The occupying Army passed curfew-like orders this weekend prohibiting the movement of people in the […]

  Every month before the meeting of the Council Douglas has what he calls a “pre-Council Meeting” in his office where he gives instructions on how to vote on every issue. The university is thus under Douglas’ complete control. “But Douglas through his ambitions to control the university has injected a new brand of communalism […]

May 22, 2011Co-Deputy leader of the UNP Sajith Premadasa accuses the government of further militarising the society despite the conclusion of the war in May two years ago.The Hambantota District MP who is also the Deputy Opposition Leader urged the government to abandon a plan to provide a three-week training to some 10,000 university entrants. […]

23 May 2011 By Yohan PereraThe JVP yesterday requested the parents of students who had been selected to the universities not to send their children for leadership training in military camps which is scheduled to begin today.JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a news conference yesterday that they wanted the parents not to send their […]

The masses, climbed into an array of vehicles, some parents had kids sitting in the boot of cars as they toured the country viewing the many Vesak spectacles and queuing up outside the generous dansala’s. by Dushy RanetungeDate & Time: 19th May 2011, 6:03 amPlace:At Sri Sambuddhtwa Jayanthi Mawatha I went to sleep last week […]

But let us not get side-tracked by the apparent stupidity of the Ministry of Higher Education. This is not about leadership training; this is part of the regime’s plan to control dissent.  Rather than producing young people with inquiring, critical minds; young people who are passionate and who are willing to fight for causes they […]

With the “Leadership and Positive Attitude Development” programme scheduled to start tomorrow at various Army camps, Nadia Fazlulhaq speaks to concerned parents of new entrants to universities, students’ unions and officials involved in the programme The disputed leadership programme organized by the Higher Education Ministry in collaboration with the Defence Ministry has officials defending it […]

22 May 2011 The United National Party (UNP) today condemned the government’s decision to go a ‘leadership’ training programme for university new entrants inside military camps.“There is no legal provision to conduct such programme and it has not been discussed in parliament as well”, the UNP said in a statement.“This type of training is not […]

By Gayan Kumara WeerasinghaAround 1500 university students have already been absorbed into the Police Training College (PTC) with the intention of providing them with leadership skills, Police department sources said.A Police department source added that these students have been absorbed into PTCs situated at Pathgama, Mahiyangana, Elpitiya, Kundasale and Nikaweratiya.These sources said that this exercise […]

 2011-05-22A building complex in Buttala belonging to the Sabaragamuwa university has been taken by the Higher Education Ministry to commence a military school, it is learnt. Residents in Buttala have raised objections to the move with the Higher Education Ministry saying that the buildings should not be used for a military establishment.Higher Education Ministry Secretary […]

Out of the three brothers of Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya is the most arrogant and brainless one, due to his inability to cope up with and handle the most important Ministry in the country due to his in-experience to administer it and his lack of education and the heavy work load under his authority has created […]

In Omanthe near Jaffna, along Palali Road, the army runs 60 restaurants and motels. Local Tamils wonder why soldiers should manage businesses, which they could do as well. Of course, the military has deeper pockets and can outcompete civilians. by Melani Manel PereraTwo years since the end of the civil war, the South is now […]

TamilNet,20 May 2011Genocidal regime of Mahinda Rajapaksa in further militarization of state in the island introduces an obligatory course conducted by the military for all students selected for the universities. The three-weeks course in selected centres of the SL Armed Forces begins on Sunday and Tamil students received summons letters in Sinhala, BBC News said […]