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  • A Tale of Two Decisions
    N Manoharan.    ·   19 Jul, 2001    ·    #527    ·    Commentary    
    Consciously or unconsciously July has become an eventful month in the history of Sri Lanka . On July 10, 2001, the Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, prorogued the Parliament till September 7, and announced a referendum to be held on ...
  • Sri Lankan Safari: Of the Violence, By the Violence and For the Violence
    N Manoharan.    ·   02 Mar, 2001    ·    #474    ·    Commentary    
    In its mild form, violence is defined as “an outrage, injury or act contrary to one’s feelings or principles”. Of late, the societies, both developed and developing, are afflicted with this endemic problem. The Sri Lankan society, w ...
  • Cease the Fire and Catch the Peace
    N Manoharan.    ·   18 Jan, 2001    ·    #451    ·    Commentary    
    To the surprise of all, the LTTE announced a unilateral ceasefire on December 21, 2000 stating its “sincere desire for peace and a negotiated settlement” of the ethnic conflict. The announcement was sudden, but not unexpected.   ...
  • Burghers: The Forgotten Community
    N Manoharan.    ·   22 Nov, 2000    ·    #439    ·    Commentary    
    Burghers are a minuscule but important ethnic group in Sri Lanka . They are the descendents of children of Portuguese and Dutch marriages with Ceylonese. They were in fact Dutch tradesmen who came to Ceylon after the establishment of t ...
  • Muslims: Third Political Force?
    Zarein Ahmed.    ·   22 Nov, 2000    ·    #438    ·    Commentary    
    In the multi ethnic Sri Lankan society, Muslims form the second largest minority community with a population of 7.4 % as against Sri Lankan Tamils (11.6 %) and the majority Sinhalas (74 %). From a pliant minority they have emerged as a key political ...
  • The LTTE Network
    Sabil Francis.    ·   16 Nov, 2000    ·    #432    ·    Commentary    
    In mid-1991 an LTTE hit squad assassinated Rajiv Gandhi. The Indian security forces, who had supplied arms and ammunition to the LTTE, and trained its cadres in Tamil Nadu, struck back, smashing the LTTE network in the state. The LTTE’s struggl ...
  • LTTE and Tamil Nadu: A Nexus
    Sabil Francis.    ·   14 Nov, 2000    ·    #430    ·    Commentary    
    War begins in the minds of men. But to wage war, they need weapons. This is the key difference between a successful insurgency like that of the Tigers in Sri Lanka and the failed one like that of the Tibetans in the mid-1950s. Very few rebell ...
  • Democratic Anti-thesis: Information Desert in Sri Lanka
    N Manoharan.    ·   04 Nov, 2000    ·    #428    ·    Commentary    
    Media is the main information source for civil society and provides an excellent feedback, in a democratic set-up. If the ‘Fourth Estate’ does not enjoy freedom then checks and balances on the other three organs of government are disturbe ...
  • Polls in the Proximity
    N Manoharan.    ·   11 Oct, 2000    ·    #418    ·    Commentary    
    As Sri Lanka gears up for its parliamentary polls on October 10 many in India are interested in its outcome. What difference will it make? Why should New Delhi be concerned with the outcome? Certainly, a change of guard in the ...
  • Sri Lankan General Elections: Issues and Problems
    N Manoharan.    ·   02 Sep, 2000    ·    #415    ·    Commentary    
    As the focus shift from the battle field to ballot papers attention in Sri Lanka would be on the issues and problems that will dominate the October Parliamentary elections.      Issues     ...
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