Stories about Sri Lanka from August, 2009
Sri Lanka: Let The IDPs Go
Indrajit Samarajiva at Indi.ca visits a Sri Lankan IDP camp and shares his observations: “Everyone just wants to go home, or at least to stay with relatives. They don’t need charity anymore, they need the freedom to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Sri Lanka: Video Evidence Of Extra-Judicial Killings Sparks Debate
Prathapa Madhav posts the controversial video clip which was first uploaded in YouTube by the Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) and was subsequently removed by YouTube for violating the terms of use. The gruesome video evidences the way extra-judicial killings were executed by the Sri Lanka’s army during...
Ted Kennedy And The South Asian Immigrants in the USA
Sepia Mutiny, a South Asian diaspora blog from USA remembers how Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy affected the lives of South Asian immigrants by playing an active role in passing the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.
Sri Lanka: Citizen Media Contest
Sri Lankan citizen journalism initiative Groundviews announced a new competition “aimed at encouraging more citizen journalism on two vital issues confronting polity and society in post-war Sri Lanka – the conditions facing Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and growing reports of Police brutality”, informs ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog.
Sri Lanka: TEDx Colombo
The Ultimate Change posts videos and links of the TEDx Colombo event, which was held last month.
Sri Lanka: The Role Of Astrologers
Cerno tells that the social utility of astrologers in Sri Lanka extends beyond predicting the future: “They provide a system of managing one’s destiny amidst the amplified uncertainties of living in a third world country. Be it for avoiding suicide bombers, securing a promotion, overcoming mental/physical illness, entering your child...
Cricket: Pakistan Hits A Snag
In last June, when Pakistan won the world Twenty20 cup championship beating Sri Lanka in the final, the fans were overwhelmed with joy. However, their recent tour in Sri Lanka proved a disaster irking many cricket loving bloggers.
Sri Lanka: Images Of The Flood In An IDP Camp
Groundviews posts pictures of the flooding in Menik Camp and updates on the increasingly desperate situation for the IDPs.
Sri Lanka: From The Blogosphere
London, Lanka and Drums posts a roundup of some latest updates from the Sri Lankan blogosphere.
Sri Lanka: Blogs Only Source Of Information From IDP Camps
Committee To Protect Bloggers quotes an Amnesty International report, which says that anonymous blog entries are the only source of information from IDP camps where: “attacks on journalists, relentless intimidation, and government-imposed restrictions on reporting threaten freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and jeopardize the safety and dignity of civilians...
Sri Lanka: Flood In IDP Camps
GroundViews informs that “torrential rains in Vavuniya throughout the day have severely affected IDPs interned in Menik Camp, particularly in Zone 3 and Zone 4.” See Vidura's Twitter messages http://twitter.com/apelankawe for updates from the ground.
Sri Lanka: A Grieving Mother Blogs To Find Her Son
Rajeewa Mallawarachchi is a school teacher in Sri Lanka. A couple of months ago her estranged husband had abducted her six year old son violating a Court order issued regarding the custody of the child. The grieving mother resorts to Blog to disseminate news to find her son as the...
Sri Lanka: Peaceful Elections
Some are framing the results recent council elections in Northern Sri Lanka as as a victory for LTTE supporters or loss for the government. However, Indi.ca opines that: “Having elections at all is a victory against the Tigers. [..] As long as people are voting and not killing each other...
Sri Lanka: Perils Of Communal Schools
Nazeeya Faarooq at Groundviews starts the discussion describing why Sri Lankan Muslims celebrated the recent Pakistani win against the Sri Lankan cricket team and states that the ethnic segregation is perpetuated and perpetrated by having communal schools in Sri Lanka and the absence of comparative religion as a subject.
Sri Lanka: Growing Censorship
Sanjana Hattotuwa writes about the growing censorship in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: Another Case Of Plagiarism
Nisadas comments on another recent case of publishing content of a blogger by a Sri Lankan newspaper without giving credit: “what I cannot understand is, why are the newspapers paying people to plagiarize?”
Sri Lanka: Provincial Council Election Results
Lanka Libertarian posts the updated election results of the UVA provincial council, the Jaffna municipal council, and the Vavuniya urban council.
Sri Lanka: Ravana Waterfall
Kirigalpoththa highlights the legendary Ravana Ella (waterfall) of Sri Lanka: “according to the great epic ‘Ramayana’ the mythical King Ravana of Lanka kidnapped Princess Sitha of India and kept her hidden somewhere close to this waterfall.”
Sri Lanka: Politicians And Road Names
Ramith tells a story how politicians in Sri Lanka can be unjustifiably persuaded to change a road name.
Sri Lanka: Udappu Festival
Indi.ca posts some pictures of the Udappu Festival in Sri Lanka.