Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Walking Down Memory Lane

I remember the day we finally ended the battle against terrorism. It was May 19th mid afternoon when my father got the call saying that the war is finally over and they have found the body of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, near the lagoons.

I remember my father first calling the Defense Secretary and letting him know. Then he called the President to convey the good news. He then left for office to give the good news to all Sri Lankans. At once we could hear fire crackers all around the city. Everyone was celebrating victory in their own way with their own reasons. To me, it was a relief that at least my father's life won't be endangered anymore. For once, the whole country was together. This was a good feeling and I was glad I was in
Sri Lanka to enjoy it and feel the glory of peace.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

WINNING THE INVISIBLE CONFLICT: Is Sri Lanka headed for sustainable peace?

By Pushpi Weerakoon - MA in Conflict Transformation

Background

On Tuesday 19th May 2009 – the day after the death of Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, declared victory over the Tamil Tigers, bringing to a close 26 years of conflict. With the routing of the LTTE, and the reclamation of all occupied territory, it was announced that the conflict in Sri Lanka had come to an end.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

A Journey through Two Forms of English

By Sanjeewa Karunaratne, Asian Tribune

Prior to my last visit to Sri Lanka, I exchanged a few emails with my bank manager with regard to the transfer of some funds. When I met him he asked, “How long have you been in the U.S.?” I said, “10 years.” He replied, “Well, you still don’t know how to spell cheque!”