Tag: Sri Lanka

‘Bit of treachery’: US attack on IRIS Dena undermines Indian security ties

Defence analyst says torpedo strike is a ‘humiliation’ for Modi’s government that disregarded a US defence partner Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Dubai and Aanya Wipulasena in Colombo The distress call came in to Sri Lanka’s maritime rescue coordination centre just after 5am. The ship in trouble, they determined, was well within Sri Lanka’s obligation for rescue, being… Read More ‘Bit of treachery’: US attack on IRIS Dena undermines Indian security ties

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South Asian University Issues Notice to PhD Student Who Cited Criticism of Modi: Report

According to the Indian Express, the university also initiated a disciplinary inquiry against the student’s supervisor, who subsequently resigned. New Delhi: The citation of American linguist Noam Chomsky’s criticism of the Narendra Modi government in a doctoral research proposal has resulted in a show-cause notice for the PhD scholar and a disciplinary inquiry against his supervisor… Read More South Asian University Issues Notice to PhD Student Who Cited Criticism of Modi: Report

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From rural Sri Lanka, solidarity for Gaza and American students protesting for Palestine

Reverberations of America’s campus protests are felt in a remote rural area in the middle of a jungle in the heart of an island nation at the cusp of Southasia and the Indian Ocean. ‘A country may believe it wins something by killing people but can anything be as valuable as human life? POSTCARD FROM… Read More From rural Sri Lanka, solidarity for Gaza and American students protesting for Palestine

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Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

Rohini Hensman Introduction Myth and reality are intertwined in accounts of how Buddhism was brought to Sri Lanka. According to the Mahavamsa, a 6th century CE epic, the Buddha himself visited Lanka on three occasions, but this myth has effectively been demolished by scholars[1]. There is more evidence for the story that in the third century BCE, when Ashoka ruled… Read More Sinhala Buddhist Nationalism & Women In Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka, thirty one years after: Burning of the Jaffna Public Library, May 1981

NB: Meanwhile the JNU History Centre collection, one of the most valuable in the country, is being dismantled by the authorities to make room for a new centre of Tamil studies. I am sure lovers of Tamil language and culture do not wish for the university’s history collection to be removed. This is nothing but… Read More Sri Lanka, thirty one years after: Burning of the Jaffna Public Library, May 1981

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Migrants and Minorities in Ceylon: Lessons for the Present

RITESH KUMAR JAISWAL Sri Lanka was just about recovering from a devastating civil war and its aftermath when it plummeted into an unprecedented economic and political crisis. Mass protests beginning in March, in response to alarming inflation and shortages of food, fuel, medicines, fertilisers, and other essential items, forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa into brief exile. His replacement, Ranil Wickremesinghe is… Read More Migrants and Minorities in Ceylon: Lessons for the Present

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Christianity and Capitalism in India and Sri Lanka

Rohini Hensman Christianity came to India and Sri Lanka from other countries at various periods ranging from ancient times to the present. Therefore a general view of the link between Christianity and capitalism (or anti-capitalism) is necessary in order to understand how the specific relationship between Christianity and capitalism (or anti-capitalism) developed in these two… Read More Christianity and Capitalism in India and Sri Lanka

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Rohini Hensman: Sri Lanka’s democratic revolution. The latest episode in a decades-long drama

n July 14, 2022, Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker announced that he had accepted the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, sent by email from Singapore where he had fled via The Maldives. That this former military commander—known as “the terminator” due to his propensity to get critics assassinated—was forced to resign by an overwhelmingly nonviolent mass movement marks this… Read More Rohini Hensman: Sri Lanka’s democratic revolution. The latest episode in a decades-long drama

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Rohini Hensman: Political Dimensions of the Crisis in Sri Lanka

Suppression of democracy; brutal majoritarianism and minority extremism in Sri Lanka are worth noting by concerned Indians. The following is a transcript provided by the author of her talk at a recent panel discussion.  The panel discussion may be viewed at: What’s Happening in Sri Lanka?  [Why did these self-professed [Sri Lankan] left leaders betray socialist principles in… Read More Rohini Hensman: Political Dimensions of the Crisis in Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka crisis: Politicians' homes set afire, shoot-at-sight orders as protests against govt intensify

Troops and military vehicles have been deployed in the streets of Colombo amid widespread protests against the government over the economic failure of the country. The army said this was done to “ensure public security”, a news report said. On Tuesday, the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence ordered the Army, the Air Force and the… Read More Sri Lanka crisis: Politicians' homes set afire, shoot-at-sight orders as protests against govt intensify

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