India’s dilemma in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | January 28, 2009 |

[BBC] Any military victory in the civil war in Sri Lanka will almost certainly see pressure for the re-emergence of India in contributing to a settlement. Since the emergence of full-blooded Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, the two neighbours have circled each other in an uncertain diplomatic tango, sometimes seeing eye to…

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Exclusive Interview: M.I.A.

By pearlaction | January 12, 2009 |

[Desi Hits] The heart of Sri Lanka’s civilians, the soul of United Kingdom, and the memories of being a Sri Lankan refugee are all parts of what creates M.I.A’s flow! Maya Arulpragasam, better known as her stage name M.I.A., experienced a journey that is heard through her music. The Grammy Awards nominated artist was born…

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Sri Lanka weighs options for foreign borrowing

By pearlaction | December 19, 2008 |

[Reuters] Sri Lanka said on Friday it is looking at “alternate sources” of foreign borrowing after a sovereign rating cut this week that analysts expected would drive up the cost of loans. Sri Lanka, weighed down by the cost of a campaign against separatist rebels, needs $2.1 billion in foreign borrowing for 2009, out of…

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Take Aid From China and Take a Pass on Human Rights

By pearlaction | March 9, 2008 |

[NY Times] FOR 25 years, the dirty little war on this island in the Indian Ocean has stretched its octopus arms across the world. The ethnic Tamil diaspora has provided vital funding for separatist rebels; remittances from Sri Lankan workers abroad have propped up the economy; the government has relied on foreign assistance to battle…

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