Magical Charisma of Kandy-Born Actor-Politico M.G. Ramachandran (MGR)

January 17, 2017 was declared a holiday in the Southern Tamil Nadu State of India. This was to acknowledge and celebrate the....

Lester’s “Rekava” was the first Sinhala film to compete at ‘The Cannes’ film festival

“Rekava”(line of Destiny) directed by Lester James Peris premiered 60 years ago at the Regal Theatre in Colombo on December 28th 1956. It was a path-breaking venture in Sinhala cinema that notched many “firsts”.

Sinhala Cinema’s Line of Destiny Re-drawn By ‘Rekava’ 60 Years Ago

December 28, 1956 remains a red letter day in the cinematic history of Sri  Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The maiden feature film of 37-year-old director Lester James Peries premiered at the upmarket ‘Regal’ theatre in Colombo on that day. It was a black and white Sinhala film named ‘Rekava.’ Though Rekava is spelt in English with both a ‘V’ as well as a ‘W,’ I am sticking to ‘V’ because

LTTE Political Adviser Balasingham knew the world was going to clobber the tigers

Ten years ago in the third week of November 2006, I received a telephone call from London. It was from Anton Stanislaus Balasingham....

“Great Heroes Day” (Maaveerar Naal), is an LTTE event, not a Tamil National Day of Mourning

November 27, 1989, was the day on which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) first observed its annual “Maaveerar Naal” or Great Heroes Day (GHD). 27 years have passed since then and the 27th anniversary of the event fell on Nov 27, 2016.  

Murder most foul of moderate Tamil MP Raviraj

Former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna District Parliamentarian and Lawyer Nadarajah Raviraj and his Police bodyguard Sgt.Lakshman Lokuwella were gunned down on a Colombo street in broad daylight ten years ago. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) investigation report on Sri Lanka (OISL) presented at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in September 2015 summed up the shooting in the following manner:-  &

Controversial Shooting of two Jaffna undergrads by policemen in Kokkuvil.

Last week’s shooting incident in Jaffna in which two male Jaffna varsity undergraduates lost their lives because of alleged police firing has given rise to a raging political controversy. Initially it was announced officially that the deaths were due to an accident but subsequently it was stated that the police had to open fire on a motorcycle with two persons as they had disobeyed instructions to stop. 

Right of reply

With reference to two articles written by our columnist DBS Jeyaraj, dated August 13 and 20, EPDP General Secretary and Jaffna District MP Douglas Devananda has written a Right of Reply (RoR). We here publish the RoR together with writer D. B. S. Jeyaraj’s response to it. 

What if Mahinda was Attacked by Pro-LTTE Elements in Malaysia?

Sri Lankans were shocked and disturbed in the first week of September by two violent incidents directed against a Buddhist prelate and a senior diplomat in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur (KL). In the first incident on Saturday September 3, the chief Adhikarana Sangha Nayake of Malaysia, Sri Saranankara Nayake Maha Thera was attacked opposite the Buddhist Temple at Sentul in KL. This incident however was of a minor nature. In a more serious

Assault on Lankan Envoy Ansar in KL Airport by Malaysian “We Tamils”

An official Ambassador is defined as a diplomat of the highest rank accredited to a foreign Government as the resident representative of his or her Motherland. The equivalent designation to an Ambassador among Commonwealth Nations is High Commissioner. Since an Ambassador or High Commissioner is the premier representative of his or her country any honour bestowed upon him or her in the host country is a respect afforded to the envoy’s count

Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra’s Murder and Hirunika’s Quest for Justice

Former parliamentarian and presidential adviser Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra known as “Lucky Aiya” was gunned down along with three of his bodyguards in Mulleriyawa on October 8, 2011. The past few years has been a taxing period of struggle for Bharatha’s daughter Hirunika Premachandra -- now a Colombo district MP -- as she sought justice for her father’s killing. Finally Hirunika’s quest for justice triumphed on S

“Dharussalam” in the Eye of a Political Storm Within The Muslim Congress

“Dharussalam” meaning “abode or house of peace” is the name given to the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) headquarters at 53 Vauxhall Lane in Slave Island or Colombo 2. The impressive seven-storey structure was constructed mainly through the untiring efforts of M.H.M. Ashraff the legendary leader of the SLMC. “Dharussalam” was officially declared open on October 23, 1998. 

When a Tamil Catholic Priest went Missing in Jaffna Ten years Ago

Exactly ten years ago on August 20, 2006 a member of the Catholic Clergy along with a member of the Catholic Laity went missing in the North.The clergyman was Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown who was serving as a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna. The layman was Wenceslaus Vimaladhas a social worker.   

“White-Vanning Culture” and the Lucrative Industry of Abducting Tamils

August 11, 2016 was a day of well-deserved pride for the people of Sri Lanka. The Island nation’s parliament on that day passed legislation to set up an Office of Missing Persons (OMP) in the country. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera hailed the passage of the OMP bill as “historic”. Addressing a news briefing soon after the Bill had been ratified, He said the new law would give relief to the loved o

Shelton Ranaraja : Principled Politician and Conscience-Keeper of the Nation

Let me begin this article with a few paragraphs excerpted from William Mcgowan’s book about Sri Lanka “Only man is Vile”   

The mother of all marches

The marathon protest march “Jana Satana Pada Yathra” launched by loyalists of former President and current Kurunegala district MP Mahinda Rajapaksa is currently underway in Sri Lanka. The march organized by pro – Mahinda political stalwarts known as the -Joint Opposition-began in Kandy on July 28th 2016. The five day march is scheduled to conclude in Colombo on August 1st 2016.

Jaffna Varsity Violence: What Really Happened and Why!

Violence reared its ugly head again in the Northern city of Jaffna on Saturday July 16th, 2016 when student groups fought each other within the Jaffna varsity precincts in Thirunelvaeli known generally  as Thinnaivaeli.

“Lion of Uduppiddy” was a Towering Political Leader of the Sri Lankan Tamils

The finest phase in the history of peaceful political protest by Sri Lankan Tamils was in 1961. A non-violent “Satyagraha” campaign conducted by the Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) virtually paralyzed the administration in the predominantly Tamil districts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka at that time.

Inside story about Indrajit Coomaraswamy becoming Central bank Governor

“All changed, changed utterly” – The memorable lines from Irish poet Yeats came true on the morning of July 2, 2016 for Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy after he received a telephone call at 6. 30 am. The early caller was none other than Malik Samarawickrama, the Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade. The former was functioning as a senior adviser to the ministry. However it was not a ministry-related matter that t

SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem Faces Political Challenges in East

The Central Bank Governor crisis has been dominating the political landscape at a national level for the past few weeks. However other issues too have surfaced at sub-national level. For instance the question of Muslim political leadership has been causing much controversy at a regional level in the Eastern Province. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is the acknowledged premier political party of the Eastern Muslims. Rauff Hakeem - Minister of

Sri Lanka’s “Textile Revolution” Ushered in by Ukku Banda Wijekoon

“Kollanta Pavement, Kellanta Garment” was a humorous saying frequently repeated during the days of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. It was an allusion made in lighter vein about the proliferation of garment factories employing girls in most parts of the country during President Premadasas’s rule. The inference was that while young women were being gainfully employed at the garment factories ,the young men left unemployed w

“Armed Forces Will Enthusiastically Support President

(Former National List MP and Prominent Academic – Author  Rajiva Wijesinha has a reputation for speaking out forthrightly on issues affecting the nation at large. In this exclusive interview with the “Daily Mirror”  Prof.Wijesinha  responds to questions on a number of  matters  including  the  track record in governance of the present Govt, ethnic reconciliation, internal politics of the SLFP,

AIADMK Leader “Amma” Jayalalithaa Has Tamil Nadu At Her Feet Again

Jayalithaa “Amma” has done it again! The supreme leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (AIADMK)has triumphed at  polls  held for the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

“One-eyed Sivarasan” the mastermind behind the Rajiv Gandhi assassination

Rajiv Ratna Gandhi – India’s Prime Minister from 31st October 1984 to December 2nd 1989  was assassinated  at Sriperumbudur in the Indian state of  Tamil Nadu exactly twenty – five years ago on May 21st 1991.  Rajiv Gandhi was in  Sriperumbudur to address a  propaganda meeting in support of the Congress Party candidate Ms. Maragatham Chandrasekhar. The 47 year old Indian ex – premier was then

Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the ‘Piththala Handiya’ explosive attack

Former Sri Lankan Army Commander  Sarath Fonseka came out with a bombshell statement some days ago in Parliament. The ex-army chief now a Cabinet minister in the Sirisena – Wickremesinghe Government accused his erstwhile comrade -at - arms and former Secretary of Defence  Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of having “stage managed” an assassination attempt on himself nearly ten years ago in order to win sympathy for his family; the R

Security crack down

A widespread security crackdown has been underway in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka. Over  20 former members of the Liberation Tigers of  Tamil Eelam (LTTE) organisation have been reportedly  taken into custody  over the past weeks in a staggered security operation spearheaded by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID)of the Police.Almost  all of the ex-LTTE cadres are being detained under provisions

The abortive Banda-Chelva pact of 1957

The  “Good Governance” Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe  has embarked upon a historic exercise to enact a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. 

“Stateswoman” Sirimavo made history as the world’s first woman prime minister

A 44-year old  Kandyan Sinhalese  widow of aristocratic “Radala”  lineage  gained global fame for her country in 1960  when she became the world’s first woman prime minister. She was none other than Sirimavo  Bandaranaike who was sworn in as prime minister of Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon on July 21st 1960. It is said that the British press had to coin a new description...

“Maestro” Lester James Peries Doyen Among Sinhala Film Directors

“Maestro”  Lester James Peries  will celebrate his 97th  birthday next  Tuesday. The  master movie maker  of Sinhala cinema was born on April 5th 1919. Lester James Peries is the man whom I regard as the greatest Sri Lankan film maker of them all! This article is a birthday tribute to the nonagenarian  Lester now basking in the serene,golden twilight of his illustrious life. I have already written ma

THE TAMIL WOMAN POLITICIAN WHOM MOST SINHALESE LOVED TO HATE

Mangaiyarkkarasi Amirthalingam known widely among Tamils at one time as “Mangai Akka”(elder sister Mangai) passed away at the age of 82 in Britain where she had been residing for the past 27 years.