When delegates assemble in Colombo later this month for the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM), much of the talk at the summit will be of “moving forward” and of “reconciliation”. The government will highlight evidence of reconstruction in the war-torn north of the county.
But two big questions will be studiously avoided at diplomatic receptions. Nobody will want to talk about the tens of thousands of civilians that the army is alleged to have killed in the final days of war in 2009. And the government’s continuing assault on Sri Lanka’s democratic freedoms will go largely unremarked.
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*Written by David Lewis, Senior Lecturer, Politics at University of Exeter , David worked for the International Crisis Group in Sri Lanka in 2006-07.
Photo – Defence.lk
Bensen Burner / November 2, 2013
“And the government’s continuing assault on Sri Lanka’s democratic freedoms will go largely unremarked.” Very true. Rajapaksas’ authoritarian rule and the lack of the rule law will be progressively taken for granted and the hapless people will accept these as part of their life. The CHOGM will irredeemably contribute to this, an act of great injustice. Bensen
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Ranil / November 2, 2013
The Commonwealth of Nations which is a British COLONIAL RELIC which because of its complete irrelevance and obsolesence in the world today, has turned into a platform for third world military dictators should be SHUT DOWN. This is what Sri Lankan people and the world should focus on. We are wasting money on a colonial outfit that is OBSOLETE.
This is the bottom line and people need to focus on the fact that this organization boosts military dictators, and has NO economic, social or geopolitical reason to exist unlike all the other country grouping.
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Rationalist / November 3, 2013
Good photo. The Uncapped Rajapakses Lording it over the Graduates in their Mortar Boards and Regalia.
The Hair Dye on one Rajapakse is also very obvious! The Brothers should not sit side by side.
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Banda / November 2, 2013
I live in small village of Sri Lanka. I am telling you, I don’t see, feel or have experienced any repression here.
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Garusinghe / November 2, 2013
Small village? Dont you live day and night with Jarafuksas and washing their jangis, panties, Suspenders or live in Lanka Web? According to Jarafukse this is a Singapore now. Do we have remote small villages?
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Point of View / November 2, 2013
He is the Appu in an estate Bungalow. Repression is normal for him !
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Yasodara Fukushima / November 2, 2013
MR Point,
If you are a Sinhala Buddist of low or poor class then there is no repession oppression or supression. If you are a Christian, Hindu, Muslim or a Sinhala Buddist belong to high class English Speaking community then you will be restraint or harassed.
This is what the simple rules of our beloved king family.
Our king is like Narendra Modi in India and like Bush was to the USA. Our king family motto is ‘live and let die’
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Sun / November 3, 2013
He is their sakkiliya… would do anythign what Rajas may plan him to do. Being 70 year old he shold finally listen to his belly feeling. Poor man apparently seems to be far from all realities in this life. If he was a teenager, he could have behaved in this way. But to hang on criminals – boasting about them should leave long before as I see it.
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Native Vedda / November 2, 2013
Banda
“I don’t see, feel or have experienced any repression here.”
It is because your wife is permanently employed in Saudi Arabia.
Lets see what happens when she returns on her retirement.
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Sun / November 3, 2013
Native,
Banda, Patriot or Leela are the same user.
As we are all aware, he would always bring his kind of comments boasting about Rajas. No facts and figures even refrences are there.. if one would raise it, he would just ignore it.. that is banda.. and how we know him
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mike / November 2, 2013
Bando, it appears Garusinghe hit the nail on your head!
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R.Dias / November 2, 2013
Hik…hik…hik…Banda….
this is exactly how most people felt in 1948….saw nothing…heard nothing…felt nothing…suddenly someone said we were independent and since then we think we are independent…but were we not independent before..?
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sarojini / November 4, 2013
All the people who comment of repression ,probably are abroad !
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hendry kolla / November 10, 2013
sarojini, you are living in another world called cuckooland meant for people with no brains like you
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crazyoldmansl / November 5, 2013
True. So they want all of us to go to this ‘small village’ that is free of repression. Sri Lanka a nation of sinhala buddhist villagers in a small village. Maybe that is where we are heading.
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PalmSquirrell / November 5, 2013
You are lying or :
1) you have nothing much so aren’t a threat to the Rajapaksa regime
2) you share the same racist goals as the Buddhist Nationalists so you don’t expreince repression.
If you ever try to protest this government and or engage in marches against the regime, you will feel the repression.
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PASEL / November 2, 2013
WAR ON TERROR LEAD SRI LANKA TO GENOCIDE PATH THE MAHINDA REGIME TOOK OVER OALL THE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT.NOW HE\THE REGIME IS PUSHING THEIR AGENDA TOWARDS TO CHOGM
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web / November 2, 2013
holding CHOGM in SL is inevitable. But the MR shouldn’t be allowed to be the head of CHOGM. It is a shame on CHOGM. At very least war crime issues, ongoing threat to the media and civialians and attacks on the minority should be addressed during CHOGM by a Cameron, Indian representative. Aussie pm won’t open his mouth.
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Native Vedda / November 2, 2013
web
What has CHOGM got to do with human rights?
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Wickramasiri / November 2, 2013
Fair comment by ‘Conversation’. Sri Lanka is a dictatorship under the guise of a democracy. There is no doubt about it. It is a terrible feeling to know that the citizens’ rights are locked up by the rulers and the freedom existing is that of the enslaved and the subservient. It is oppressive and unacceptable. I dare say the leaders of the commonwealth must engage with Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly, and with purpose, to revert to governance with independent commissions on judiciary, police, public administration, finance, bribery and corruption, etc. etc. This is a difficult task because he and his family does not understand such a system where governance is in the hands of entrenched institutions and not individuals who are blatantly corrupt and opposed to the rule of law. It is not only the ruling family, the self-serving members of parliament too must be engaged with. The 18th amendment to the constitution must be repealed. It is indeed sad that we have to appeal to an outside institution to remedy a disastrous domestic situation which we are powerless to change in a non violent manner.
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justice / November 2, 2013
Wickremasiri,
You are entirely correct.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act which gives Gota,a mere public servant,powers to jail civilians without any inquiry too, must be repealed.
This CHOGM will be very polite affair during which an agenda which ignores reality in sri lanka,drawn up by Secretary General Sharma who has prostituted himself to Mahinda Rajapakse,will be gone through.
MR will be hailed as the “leader” of the Commonwealth of Nations – just as Sirimavo B was hailed as the “Leader of two thirds of the world”.
Am waiting to see how many monks will chant pirith – which the delegates will have to tolerate.
Some will also be compelled gently,to visit the Dalada Maligawa.
The ‘majesty’ of Hambantota will be the showpiece.
The visiting press corps will gently be prevented from meeting civilians and interviewing them.
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Banda / November 2, 2013
Say what you Vedda and other jealous idiots like, As I said, I am experiencing exactly what the latest the London-based ‘Legatum Prosperity Index’ says.
Now, London-based Legatum Institute, contains data on 142 countries for 89 variables, spread across eight sub-indices. The sub-indices include, country’s Economy, Entrepreneurship & Opportunity, Governance, Education, Health, Safety & Security, Personal Freedom and Social Capital.
The latest Legatum Prosperity Index, which ranks nations according to wealth and wellbeing factors, has placed Sri Lanka at 60th place moving up eleven places in overall Prosperity since 2009.
The Economy sub-index has risen twenty eight places to 74th since 2009, as a result of increases in capital per worker, gross domestic savings, perceived job availability, and satisfaction with access to adequate food and shelter.
It says that a whopping 82% of people say they can rely on others in times of need and 57% believe Sri Lanka is a good place to live for immigrants. It also says that over the past five years, Sri Lanka has increased twelve places to 35th in the Social Capital sub-index, due to increases in willingness to help strangers and trust levels.
In the South Asian region, India declined to106th and overtaken for the first time in 2013 by Bangladesh which ranked at 103rd. Nepal ranked at 102nd and Pakistan remains low in the rankings at 132nd with progress hampered by security-related challenges.
What do you say you buggers?
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Sumith / November 3, 2013
/* What do you say you buggers? */
ha! ha! Banda strikes back.-:)
send more and more of your wives & daughters to mid east for house maid jobs SL can go even higher up in prosperity index.
all the village Bandas had become ponnayas who don’t know what is happening in COlombo and Hambanthota only knows how to count dinars & dollars sent by their women from Saudi.
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Rationalist / November 3, 2013
Sumith, this is no Village ‘Banda’, who sends his wife and daughters to slave in Arab Households.
He is so conversant with all the latest Economic Indices, that he HAS to be a paid Apologist for the Rajapakse Regime, in the company of Leela, Softy, etc. etc.
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PalmSquirrell / November 5, 2013
Exactly what I was suspecting; a village commoner who talks about Western indices…..yeah that is totally normal. More than likely a Rajapaksa shill.
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Wickramasiri / November 3, 2013
Banda, When you say “What do you say you buggers?” you are placing yourself at the bottom of the index.
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mike / November 3, 2013
Don’t you see, Banda admits that he is a BUGGER!
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PalmSquirrell / November 5, 2013
Since the majority are Sinhalese , why is it a surprise that 57% would say that. Why don’t we poll the Tamils and see what they say.
Advancing material gain does not equal a freer society, if that were the case the Saudis and other oil rich Gulf countries would be the freest societies in the world.
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Lapatiya / November 5, 2013
You don’t worry Banda. I think our Saddarmadveepa Chakwarthi still doesn’t know that you living in a small village. In the near future you will get a New Airport (Horana Mahinda Rajaksha International Airport), New Port (Horana Mahinda Rajapaksha International Port) New Cricket Stadium (Horana Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium) Nelum Pokuna (Horana Mahinda Rajapaksha Nalum Pokuna) and Public Toilet (Horana Mahinda Rajapaksha Prasidda Vasikiliya) along with a expressway to Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksha International Airport via Singharaja Forest.
Thank you Banda reminding us that we are living in “Kethumathi Kingdom”. Everybody commenting here labeled you as Dalu Banda, Gal Banda, Sewala Banda, Gon Banda, Hora Banda etc. etc. But for me you are just a “Plain Banda” Bando.
Before I thought that you are a Presidential Advisor. Now I think you are Advisor to Ajith Niward Cabral as well.
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K.A Sumanasekera / November 3, 2013
So this Lewis worked for the ICG in Srilanka from 2006-2007.
Mr Prabakaran bombed Colombo in 2008 with fixed wing Aircraft supplied by the IC.
IC sent its special envoy Mr Milliband to try to airlift Mr Prabkaran in 2009.
Internationals certainly seem to have some connection with all good things which happened to the inhabitants in our Motherland up to 2009.
No wonder they are pissed off about all the bad thing which are happening now.
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hendry kolla / November 10, 2013
glad to see the clown KAS admit that things are bad in sl. don’t let your leader read your comments as you may disappear!!! the condom theory will apply to you and you deserve it and we will be laughing all the way to medamulana.
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Black knight / November 3, 2013
Love this photo.. Two of the smartest intellectuals Sri Lanka has produced.. Side by side having a great discussion.. wonder what it could be.. Hmm…
Then again it might be to the tune of “where is the professor Gota? Do you understand anything that is being said here machan? Gota: nae bung u heta thena speech eka lianawa..”
Can we really just blame these ass clowns for the current situation in Lanka??? We have to blame and punish the criminally minded intellectuals like that Peries F#*ker for his support to con the people.. Without these guys support these two monkeys (and the third) couldn’t wipe their own asses..
I pray for the day to come soon to take all these guys to justice.. The supporting group first, to hear their excuses.. “Just doing my job” can not be accepted.. These are the real criminals supporting this regime..
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BBS Rep / November 4, 2013
Say what you say people, CHOGM leaders do not see the situation in Sri Lanka from the viewpoint of CT commenters.
After all, President Rajapaksa was swept to power through democratic processes. Like it or not, take it or leave it. CHOGM leaders see Rajapaksa as the man who delivered Sri Lanka from 40 years of self annihilating war and destruction.
The CHOGM leaders will see improvements to infrastructure. They will personally experience freedom of movement. They will see schools that are functioning. They will see people going about their businesses. They will see public transport working. They will see banks and telecommunication systems working.
Well, about the excesses you people keep on harping about, they are necessary evils to manage an inherently difficult country such as Sri Lanka. If the Sri Lankans are not ruled with an iron fist, they are the type who are so adept at finding ways to create maximum mayhem in the most minimum time possible.
Well, about the war crimes you keep referring to. War is crime. Talking about crime within crimes is superfluous. All those who cry foul on CT today, would be crowing the glory of VP, had the fortunes of war favoured LTTE.
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Black Knight / November 4, 2013
Not sure what BBS stand for maybe Bigger Bull Shit Rep.. I think everyone in the world agrees the MR regimes done a great thing to stop the war.. But I doubt you or anyone apart from the inner circle of MR really know what happened during the 30 year war and what deals were done to stop it.. You know you can give a starving man in the middle of the dessert a plain old cracker and he will be certain that it was the most delicious cracker he has ever tasted.. BBS Rep you sound a bit like that man.. “necessary evils”??? What are you talking about..
Wake up and smell the coffee.. The War is finished.. It’s time now to have some transparency on government expenses.. Found this speech fascinating and funny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt9ns4qHlHA, but the highlight of the speech was when Harsha mentions the RDA financial records.. “Me Mokadtha Me Kianne??” I rolled on the floor laughing so loud.. Still makes me chuckle how this government is running the country basically laughing at the people in every turn.. Sorry BBS Rep, I don’t think you will understand why it’s so funny, I have a feeling you smell a little bit like Raja butt crack.. BBS please explain a little bit about the expenditure of the government if you will? Please don’t mention LTTE or ending the war.. I think that was 2009..
PS: I am not for any political party as I believe you should never have a ‘leader’ of a party that you have to support.. Independent Candidates is what I believe in, but unfortunately there’s a lot BS around which fools most of the people most of the times.. So Jayaweeya UNP, Jayaweeya UNFP, blah, blah for all the BBS Rep types..
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Sun / November 4, 2013
Thanks BN @;
Dr. Harsha De Silva is a fearless personality.
We can be pround of him.
Average man has no idea about the level of corruption risen to this day under the admin of MR.
They just criticise if anybody would go against MR. It is all they the rulers whitewash everything abuse that has been carried out by them.
Now Rd construction are seen as magic to common man, but they are far from the facts and figure behind the corruption scandals behind each of thos road constructions.
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Black Knight / November 4, 2013
@Sun:
I found Harshas’ speech so fasincating and wondered why these people are not getting questioned.. Who’s money is this? Are we that happy that daddy stopped uncle from F*&cking mom, so he can rape our sisters and brothers..
I found this site by chance the other day and loved it from the word go. What can CT do to get this kind of communication out to the general public.. Meaning the day to day living people of Sri Lanka? Do they even have enough time to read anything these days?? Busy paying bills and living day to day looking after the family… I just really wonder what can be done to wake up the people??
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PalmSquirrell / November 5, 2013
Democratic rise to power doesn’t mean much when the rights of the minority are severly trampled on, because that’s just majoritarian rule and not democrasy as spoken in the West.
Muhammed Mursi was also swept to power democratically but then he started to implement an anti democratic Islamist agenda. Rajapaksa are the same way.
Don’t forget that if VP hadn’t prevented Northern and Eastern Tamils from voting , MR would not be president, so how exactly is it democratic when a good chunk of SL didn’t even vote.
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