Uncategorized

To be treated by all citizens Ethnic Conflict is a Disease

Admin September 19, 2019

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ‘Sri Lanka’s economy is yet to recover from a protracted thirty-year war, and this year Sri Lanka has suffered further setback by the Easter Sunday Attack. Hence, irrespective of whether they belong to minority or majority communities, it is the people who must decide,’

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Rebuilding Trust with Trade Weekly Friendship Fair at Kattankudi

Admin September 19, 2019

PRASAD PURNAMAL JAYAMANNA This may be a story that makes many people wonder because the picture painted around Kathankudi is an entirely different one. A fair in which any person from anywhere in the country can come and trade is a rare phenomenon anywhere in the island, but to host one in a location that […]

Society

In Conversation with Bertal Pinto-Jayawrdena How the Unity Trust maintains harmony

Admin September 18, 2019

K.BAANU “I stopped reading one of the five English newspapers I regularly buy. It had provocative articles, full of hatred and it was not sensitive to ethnic issues at all” says Bertal Pinto-Jayawardena, a former People’s Bank employee and Founder of the Unity Mission Trust. The Catamaran interviewed Mr. Pinto-Jayawardena who spoke to us about […]

Society

Spoken Sinhala Classes A Great Demand in the North & East

Admin September 18, 2019

MANGALANATH LIYANAARCHCHI Spoken Sinhala classes are in great demand in many parts of the North and East today. In a country where more than 70% of the population is Sinhalese and many students leave the Sinhala medium, it is heartening to note that many still make the effort to learn Sinhala in the North and […]

Society

What connects us? Looking Beyond Race & Religion

Admin September 18, 2019

THARMINI PATHMANATHAN Since last year, the Jaffna Social Action Center has been conducting meetings and running programmes with religious leaders to create a sense of inter-ethnic harmony. Nadaraja Sukirtharaj, the Centre’s Coordinator raised this question during a special interview with The Catamaran recently: “No politician can speak for the Tamil people. They wish a

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In Conversation with Mayilvaganam Thilagaraj Lost Opportunity

Admin September 18, 2019

KURINCHPPAARTHTHAN “The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists and there is a common belief that Buddhism must be given prominence, unfortunately, making Buddhism the state religion was an act of a group of leftists who led the compilation of Sri Lanka’s first republic constitution in 1972. When something is legalized, it is not easy to […]

In Focus

Selling Sorrow Effects of Public Exposure to Personal Loss

Admin September 18, 2019

MELANI MANEL PERERA “Exploitation of personal stories of sorrow and loss is a breach of privacy and an addition to the pain already being felt by the victims of the Easter Sunday Attacks,” says Dr. Ravindra Ranasinghe, a psychotherapist at the Hemas Group also works with the World Health Organization to prevent community harassment. Dr. […]

In Focus

The Power of Language Words to Overcome Ethnic Conflict

Admin September 18, 2019

GAYAN YADDEHIGE “Language is the primary tool in uniting people of all ethnicities. The era we live in today is the best for the use of language where we see many efforts to create division among the people.” said Mr. Milinda Mayadunna of the Department of Official Languages. We spoke with Mr. Mayadunna on how […]

Society

The Easter Sunday Aftermath in Ampara “I bartered fish for jack fruit. All that is ruined now”

Admin September 16, 2019

Z.A. RAHUMAN In the aftermath of Easter Sunday’s attacks, we wanted to gauge its effects on people around the country. We spoke with a trader from the Amapara District recently to understand the impact on people in his areq. “I was doing a barter business. I took things from this area to sell to the […]

Society

Youth Reconciliation A Meaningful Resolution

Admin September 16, 2019

UPUL THAMMITA The Easter Sunday attacks across Sri Lanka created an uncomfortable aftermath among the country’s populace. Just a decade after a 30-year long ethnic conflict, another one seemed to be on the horizon due to a small group with extremist ideologies. In the wake of this situation, The Catamaran spoke with opinion leaders, monks […]