The Fog of an Uncivil War in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | February 1, 2012 |

[New York Times] It has been nearly three years since Sri Lankan government troops crushed the separatist Tamil Tigers in a gory, scorched-earth campaign that brought an end to three decades of civil war. The final battles — with some 300,000 civilians caught in the crossfire — were fought on the northern beaches and in…

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Tamils await their peace dividend

By pearlaction | January 30, 2012 |

[The Global and Mail] For Tamils, the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war has brought no peace dividend; for Tamil women, peace has brought with it a continuation – and in some cases an intensification – of violence and insecurity. In the country’s predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east – a region half the size of…

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Sri Lanka: No Progress on Justice

By pearlaction | January 24, 2012 |

[Human Rights Watch] The Sri Lankan government in the past year failed to advance justice and accountability for the victims of the country’s 26-year-long civil conflict, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2012. While Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged north and east became more open, the government deepened repression of basic freedoms throughout the…

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Minister Baird Comments on Final Report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission

By pearlaction | January 11, 2012 |

[Canada News Centre] Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today issued the following statement on the final report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission: “Canada notes the public release of the report of Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Although we are still studying the report, the commission has addressed and provided recommendations…

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