By J. S. Tissainayagam –
J.S. Tissainayagam
The Sri Lanka Army has said it will vacate camps in the country’s northern Jaffna Peninsula before crucial provincial elections in September. Despite the international publicity the move has attracted, Jaffna’s residents say there is no significant downtick in overall levels of militarization.
Elections to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) next month will be the first. Legislation setting up provincial councils was part of a power-sharing treaty between India and Sri Lanka, known as the Indo-Lanka Accord. Enacted in 1987, the legislation was primarily created to resolve conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils, the country’s two largest ethnic groups.
Read more in the Global Post
J. S. Tissainayagam, a veteran newspaper editor in Sri Lanka, is now an editor and contributor to the Peter Mackler Media Freedom Blog. He was a Reagan-Fascell Fellow at the National Endowment Democracy in Washington DC in 2013 and a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard in 2011.
Sumathy m / August 29, 2013
Mr.Nayagam,I think you were in Srilanka in 2004 and well aware how the Tigers were involved in vote rigging and didnt allow the people to vote frely.Whether it is army or the tigers vote rigging is wrong.Even the EU condemned the Tiger involvement in 2004.Why didnt you even write a single sentence at that time?Is it because it was the tigers involved?Come on…
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Thondamanaru / August 29, 2013
Military Meddling In Sri Lanka Elections: What Will The UN Do?
UN can Go To hell…………….& Take Tissanayagam with them as well.
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Ajith / August 29, 2013
As usual SriLanka played a game during the visit of Navi Pillai. They removed the military camps and sign posts on her route quickly but they emerged again once she moved away. Similarly, the government couldn’t stop Navi Pillai meeting people in Vanni assuming that people will not tell the truth because of the consequences but people were brave enough to tell the truth. I am sure She can smell what is going on from those faces of people. I hope that Navi Pillai had sufficient evidence to prove that Sinhala state violated human rights and abused its power against innocent civilians and committed crimes against humanity. International community should act firmly against those who responsible for the crimes against humanity.
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Susan / August 29, 2013
Malinda Seneviratne and his associates will probably make wild claims, such as: in order to pre-empt future LTTE threats, the SLA has to conduct these “security operations”. I am waiting to look at the next set of articles (and statements) he and like minded Singalese such as Champika Ranawaka, Gomin Dayasiri, Udaya Gammanpila and Athuraliye Rathana Thero will publish.
Dayan Jayatilleka, who at the 2009 Geneva UNHRC sessions spoke to Navi Pillay in an insulting manner, now makes statements which give the appearance that he is a LESS extreme Singala racist, than the above mentioned lot.
Mahinda Rajapaksa used the opportunistic and unscrupulous Tamara Kunanayakam at the UN in 2009, to hoodwind the world that he had Tamil in a top GOSL slot. She only has Tamil name. Nothing else about her is Tamil, or that of a decent person.
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Jim softy / August 30, 2013
Tamil use Racist politics. Does UN do any thing about that ?
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mike / September 2, 2013
GET LOST, a.. h… ??
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Fathima Fukushima / August 30, 2013
LTTE (TNA) is also meddling in the election!
So to be fair the military too must meddle in it.
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spotlight / August 30, 2013
The military may hand back private properties to the owners vacate those places and move into the existing larger cantonments. Whetehr the term ‘militerization’ can be applied to Jaffna is a moot question. Colombo is teeming with camps as well!!!!
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Burt / August 30, 2013
“LTTE (TNA) is also meddling in the election!”
LTTE is no more at least in Sri Lanka (According to the Govt)
There has not been a single complain against TNA so far by any party while SLFP and UNP are complaining about Douglass’es goons while Govt politicians in the other two regions are trying to kill each other.
‘So to be fair the military too must meddle in it.’
Were you born stupid or did you train yourself this way. I don’t believe anyone could be born this stupid. Military is not a political party.
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genny / August 30, 2013
Mr. Jim Softy
Yes I agree Mr. Softy that tamils are using racist politics . What do you think the majority are using Jack Ass politics ? which you are well accustomed to as you are a jack ass to make such stupid comments.
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Thondamanaru / August 31, 2013
TNA falls into the same category of the PIllay branding the LTTE.
These stooges must be jailed under the PTA on Pillay’s evidence for AIDING AND ABETTING.
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