DOCSLIB.ORG

Pregnancy by Choice

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Pregnancy by Choice CONTENTS FOREWORD CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 SAVING PREGNANCY WHEN IN A SAFER MAKING INFORMED LOOKING ACCELERATING THE MOTHERS’ BY CHOICE CRISIS WORLD FOR HER DECISIONS AHEAD PROMISE LIVES Page 04 Page 06 Page 14 Page 26 Page 38 Page 50 Page 62 Page 74 Page 80 04 05 FOREWARD THE FIGHT FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND CHOICES MUST CONTINUE Imagine a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every Commemorating these The publication also focuses on Fifty years on, the fight for rights and childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is milestones, it is our pleasure how rights and choices have been choices in reproductive health must fulfilled. Imagine a world where every person can exercise at the heart of the population and continue until the world we imagine, the right and have choices to make safe and informed to present ‘Perspectives – development agenda, yet, at the is the world that we live in right now. decisions on if and when to get married, and whether and A reflection on five decades same time, how thousands of people when to have children. At the United Nations Population of advancements in sexual are still waiting for the promise Let’s continue the unfinished Fund (UNFPA), this is the world we strive to build for and reproductive health in Sri of ICPD to be fulfilled. If we are agenda, and let’s start now. everyone, in every corner of the globe. to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Lanka’. Sustainable Development, if we are In 1973, UNFPA started its operations in Sri Lanka. Since to leave no one behind, then we must then, our combined efforts with the Government of Sri This publication celebrates the address the unfinished business of Lanka, civil society organizations, and development achievements during the last 50 the ICPD agenda. partners has assisted Sri Lanka to achieve remarkable years and earlier, and focuses Ritsu Nacken progress in advancing sexual and reproductive health of its on UNFPA’s key areas of work - Each narrative is a reflection Representative, UNFPA Sri Lanka people. Maternal Health, Family Planning, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, of the potential for sexual and reproductive health and rights This year, 2019, marks two important prevention of Gender-Based Violence, and Providing Humanitarian Relief, to transform the lives of milestones in the field of reproductive health through a compilation of stories from individual women and girls – globally: 50 years since UNFPA began its resilient, inspiring, and empowering and from there, like ripples in operations, and 25 years since the landmark people. The shared insights are from a pond, to drive change that International Conference on Population those who have dedicated years of service to addressing the challenges propels the wellbeing of their and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, which faced in each sphere of UNFPA’s families, communities and represented a paradigm shift for population work, paired with the stories of the the country itself. and development in the recognition that lived realities of women for whom people’s rights, choices, and well-being are the these vital services and far-reaching policies were intended. path to sustainable development. 2003 UNFPA conducts Global Survey to appraise national experiences post-ICPD in Cairo 14 15 CHAPTER 01 SAVING MOTHERS’ LIVES No mother should die giving birth. Making motherhood safer is a human rights imperative, and it is at the core of UNFPA’s mandate. In Sri Lanka, continuous investments in maternal health can be traced back to the beginning of the last century. Over the decades, maternal mortality has immensely reduced, resulting in Sri Lanka having the lowest maternal mortality in the South Asia region. Almost every mother in Sri Lanka gives birth in a health facility, and 99 percent of mothers receive antenatal and postnatal care by a skilled health professional. However, while significant strides have been taken, this is not enough because even one preventable maternal death is too many. Maternal health indicators have been stagnant over the last few years, and most maternal deaths have been preventable. UNFPA works closely with the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen health systems and to promote international maternal health standards, thereby ensuring that every mother can live to witness the life of their child. © UNFPA Sri Lanka / Munira Mutaher 16 17 EVERY TIME I GOT PREGNANT, I WAS HOPEFUL, BUT I WAS ALSO AFRAID. ESHA KAPPARAGE, 52 © UNFPA Sri Lanka / Shehan Obeysekera 18 19 Esha Kapparage was told five placing Ajith’s sperm directly inside times that a child she desperately Esha’s uterus to increase the chances wanted would never be born. of fertilization. Accompanying the Each miscarriage felt different, yet treatment were a number of injections heartbreakingly familiar: the shortest and oral drugs. Thanks to her training, pregnancy was three months, the Esha was able to simply inject herself. longest four. Sometimes, she knew she had lost the child because of She knew first-hand how excellent the the blood staining her clothes; at healthcare for mothers and children other times it was because the foetal provided by the state was, but felt that monitor revealed that the baby had the hospitals were poorly equipped gone still and lifeless within her to treat couples who needed fertility womb. “Each time it was a great treatments. Asked to provide sperm, emotional blow to me,” she says, “a Ajith was appalled by the conditions loss of all our hopes.” of the toilets he was sent to. There was a clear lack of sensitivity to the Esha had always known she wanted needs of couples such as themselves. to have children. A trained nurse, Switching to the private sector, she had met her husband, Ajith, in however, brought with it its own Peradeniya, where she was attached challenges. Treatments and tests put to the local hospital. The two hit a dent in their budget, and with every it off right away. Ajith was deeply miscarriage, Esha’s heart sank. progressive in his outlook, unlike other men she knew. An English teacher, he “Because I worked in the sector, I could discuss literature and politics knew there were healthcare services for hours. She loved the dark colour of available, but there was no other his skin and the respect with which he system of assisting women to help treated her and all other women. The them cope with the mental pressure two were married after a whirlwind we had to face. There was no courtship. emotional support,” remembers Esha. She adds: “Every time I got pregnant, I After being happily married was hopeful, but I was also afraid.” for a year, Esha and Ajith At the time she was grateful that planned to have a child. Six both his family and her own were months later, it was clear willing to give them some space. Even something was wrong. the neighbours in their village were They went to see a doctor generally respectful. Esha spent hours on the phone with her mother, who and underwent a battery of encouraged her to keep trying. Ajith tests. The diagnosis was was a quietly supportive presence. sub-fertility, which meant He told her that it was her choice, that Esha had a condition and that they would handle it as she wanted. It was the best gift he could of reduced fertility. More give her. tests and treatments were scheduled, with the hope of However, after nine years of having having a child together. her hopes lifted, only to have them so painfully shattered time and time Since Esha was working as a nurse, again, Esha was finally ready to call it she would go for her appointments quits. With Ajith’s support, they began during her breaks at work. They went to think about other options, such as through four rounds of Intrauterine adoption. Insemination (IUI), which involved © UNFPA Sri Lanka / Shehan Obeysekera 20 21 They registered with an adoption Another year passed, and centre and put the word out among Esha was pregnant again. their network. They found a possible candidate, a woman who was “We were both over forty,” she expecting twins but could not afford says, admitting that she was to keep both of them. deeply anxious that the child would be born with Down’s Excited now, they began to prepare to welcome a child into their home. They syndrome. They went for turned in their motorcycle for a car tests, but found that the most with a child seat and went shopping reliable one would also be for baby things. the most expensive, and was Then Esha discovered she was simply beyond their means. pregnant for the sixth time. “We decided to take a leap of faith and just take whatever The first month passed, and then the was given to us,” she says. second. The third came and went without incident. When the fourth When Madhuriya, meaning musicality, month went by, Esha finally breathed was born on December 19, 2009, she a sigh of relief. was a completely healthy baby girl. Nine months later, on April Today, families like Esha’s benefit 24, 2007, their daughter was from the work UNFPA does with born via a C-section. Esha the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen the capacity of health wept as the doctor held up care providers to deliver quality family a girl. Ajith chose the name planning services, and in conducting Sililari, meaning river or research on subfertility towards stream, for their firstborn. developing a national subfertility package. Ajith would tell people later that their daughter saved Meanwhile, Madhuriya and Sililari their lives.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Majoritarian Politics in Sri Lanka: the ROOTS of PLURALISM BREAKDOWN
    Majoritarian Politics in Sri Lanka: THE ROOTS OF PLURALISM BREAKDOWN Neil DeVotta | Wake Forest University April 2017 I. INTRODUCTION when seeking power; and the sectarian violence that congealed and hardened attitudes over time Sri Lanka represents a classic case of a country all contributed to majoritarianism. Multiple degenerating on the ethnic and political fronts issues including colonialism, a sense of Sinhalese when pluralism is deliberately eschewed. At Buddhist entitlement rooted in mytho-history, independence in 1948, Sinhalese elites fully economic grievances, politics, nationalism and understood that marginalizing the Tamil minority communal violence all interacting with and was bound to cause this territorialized community stemming from each other, pushed the island to eventually hit back, but they succumbed to towards majoritarianism. This, in turn, then led to ethnocentrism and majoritarianism anyway.1 ethnic riots, a civil war accompanied by terrorism What were the factors that motivated them to do that ultimately killed over 100,000 people, so? There is no single explanation for why Sri democratic regression, accusations of war crimes Lanka failed to embrace pluralism: a Buddhist and authoritarianism. revival in reaction to colonialism that allowed Sinhalese Buddhist nationalists to combine their The new government led by President community’s socio-economic grievances with Maithripala Sirisena, which came to power in ethnic and religious identities; the absence of January 2015, has managed to extricate itself minority guarantees in the Constitution, based from this authoritarianism and is now trying to on the Soulbury Commission the British set up revive democratic institutions promoting good prior to granting the island independence; political governance and a degree of pluralism.
    [Show full text]
  • Message from the Chairperson
    Message from the Chairperson. I take great pleasure in sharing with you the work and accomplishments of Parents of Servicemen Missing in Action and the Association of War Affected Women. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Her Excellency the President, the Honorable Prime Minister, Mr. Bradman Weerakoon the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Former Deputy Minister of National Integration Hon. Dilan Perera, Mr. Pulithevan of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, The International Committee of the Red Cross, Mr. Pierre Barras Protection Coordinator of the ICRC Colombo Office, His Excellency John Westborg the Ambassador for Norway in Sri Lanka, The Sri Lankan Army, and all individuals and institutions, who have in one way or another helped us, and last but not least we remember with much gratitude our advisers for their useful advice and our members who have been a great encouragement in all difficult situations and who shared, the joy and sorrow throughout this struggle, for the kind cooperation extended to us at all times. Special thanks goes to Shalini Gunawardena, Taylor Beach and Venura Parua for helping make this publication a reality. Thank you, Visaka Dharmadasa Committee of the AWAW at a press conference Who we are: A group of more than two thousand women from across Sri Lanka directly affected by the war; their sons, husbands missing/missing in action, killed, or disabled due to the war. AWAW is deeply committed to seeing an end to this meaningless war and achieving a sustainable peace. Our main goal: To achieve peace through socio-economic development enlisting the active participation of war affected women.
    [Show full text]
  • The Devolution of Government in Sri Lanka:Legal Aspects of the Relationship Between Central and Local Government an Historical A
    THE DEVOLUTION OF GOVERNMENT IN SRI LANKA:LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CENTRAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AN HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE STUDY A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON AS AN INTERNAL STUDENT OF THE SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY. SHIRANI ANSHUMALA BANDARANAYAKE JANUARY 1986 ProQuest Number: 11010518 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 11010518 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Abstract In the context of recently accentuated communal divisions in Sri Lanka,the thesis seeks to examine how far present schemes for the decentralisation of Government provide for a degree of local autonomy which may be sufficient to accomodate divisive and S£C.£.£>£ionist tendencies. The question is approached through an analysis of the legal elements In the relationships between the central and local government authorities,traced through the historical evolution of the law from ancient times and specially from the early colonial period. The thesis contains eleven Chapters including a general introduction and a conclusion and is divided into three parts.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Lanka-Homicide of Richard De Zoysa-Fact Finding Mission Report
    INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS P.O. Box 120, 1224 Chene-Bougeries/Geneva, Switzerland Telex: 418 531 ICJ CH Telephone: (4122} 49 35 45 Fax: (4122} 49 31 45 Report of Anthony Heaton-Armstrong, Observer appointed by the International Commission of Jurists August 1990 CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND . 1 2. SUMMARY OF OBSERVER'S INVOLVEMENT........... 3 3. PERSONAE . 5 4. CHRONOLOGY . 7 5. OBSERVATIONS . 15 ; 6. EVIDENCE OF INDENTIFICATION IMPLICATING SSP GUNASINGHE AND COMMENTARY................ 18 7. COMMENTARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................. 20 7.1 THE POLICE INVESTIGATIONS .................... 20 7.2 THE ROLE OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL............. 21 7 . 3 THE ROLE OF THE COURT . 2 3 7 . 4 THE FUTURE . 2 3 8. LIST OF ADDENDED DOCUMENTS 26 L15t2.A{2.y International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Geneva, Switzerland /v\ 1\() MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY INTO THE HOMICIDE OF RICHARD DE ZOYSA Report of the observer appointed by the International Commission of Jurists 1. BACKGROUND On 18 February 1990 Richard de Zoysa, a 31 year old journalist, was abducted from his home near Colombo in Sri Lanka in the early hours of the morning by a group of men. His body was found in the sea on 19 February. He had been shot. A magisterial inquiry into the killing was instituted shortly afterwards. About three-and-a-half months later Mr de Zoysa's mother, Dr Manorani Saravanamuttu, who had been present at the abduction, claimed to have identified one of the abductors as Senior Superintendent of Police Ronnie Gunasinghe when watching a television news broadcast on which he had appeared. The police authorities declined to arrest Mr Gunasinghe.
    [Show full text]
  • An Agenda for Change the Right to Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka
    AN AGENDA FOR CHANGE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN SRI LANKA October 1994 © ARTICLE 19 ISBN 1 870798 57 0 CONTENTS Acknowledgements Acronyms 1. Introduction 1.1 ARTICLE 19's Visit to Sri Lanka 1.2 Freedom of Expression and Armed Opposition Groups 1.3 The New Government's Undertakings 2. Freedom of Expression and International Human Rights Law: Sri Lanka's Obligations Under the ICCPR 3. Constitutional and Legal Protection of Freedom of Expression 3.1 Constitutional Protection 3.2 Emergency Powers 3.3 Prevention of Terrorism Act 3.4 Parliament (Power and Privileges) Act 3.5 Press Council Law 3.6 Defamation 3.7 Sedition 3.8 The Official Secrets Act 4. Media Freedom 4.1 State Control of Broadcasting and Newspapers 4.2 Broadcasting of News by Privately-Owned Stations 4.3 Attacks and Threats Against Media Personnel 4.4 Use of Advertising and Other State Resources to Influence the Media 4.5 Reporting the Conflict in the North and East 5. Impunity - 1 - 5.1 Indemnity Laws 5.2 The Need for Impartial Investigation of "Disappearances" and Extrajudicial Killings 5.3 Protection of Witnesses 5.4 Further Means Used to Prevent Disclosure of the Truth 6. Conclusion NB This version of the report does not contain footnotes. For a full version contact [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research for this report was carried out during an investigative visit by ARTICLE 19 to Sri Lanka in July 1993. The mission team was led by Dr Frances D'Souza, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, and the other members were Brian Currin, National Director of Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa, Charles Goddard of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association and Susan Hay, Sri Lanka Coordinator for ARTICLE 19.
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy, Development and the Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka
    DRAFT VERSION – FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY Democracy, Development and the Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka Rajesh Venugopal London School of Economics (LSE) [email protected] © Rajesh Venugopal 2014. This is a draft paper for private circulation only. Please do not cite without permission. Keywords: Institutions, constitutional change, Sri Lanka, democracy, presidentialism. Abstract: This paper examines the developmental causes and consequences of the shift from a parliamentary to a semi-presidential system in Sri Lanka in 1978, examining its provenance, rationale, and its unfolding trajectory. In doing so, it draws on a wide range of sources and a decade of research on Sri Lankan history and politics, and engages with debates on the role of institutions and democracy on development. It sets out an argument in brief that the executive presidency was born out of an elite impulse to create a more stable, centralised political structure to resist the welfarist electoral pressures that had taken hold in the post- independence period, and to pursue a market-driven model of economic growth. This strategy succeeded in its early years 1978-93, when presidents retained legislative control, maintained a strong personal commitment to market reforms, and cultivated alternative souces of legitimacy. In the absence of these factors, the presidency slipped into crisis in over 1994-2004 as resistance to elite-led projects of state reform mounted and as the president lost control of the legislature. Since 2005 the presidency has regained its power, but at the cost of abandoning its original rationale and function as a means to recalibrate elite/mass power relationship to facilitate elite-led reform agendas.
    [Show full text]
  • “A SHOVE from the SECOND ROW” by Jayantha Dhanapala (BASED
    1 “A SHOVE FROM THE SECOND ROW” by Jayantha Dhanapala ( BASED ON REMARKS MADE AT THE LAUNCH OF 'NEGOTIATING WITH THE TIGERS (LTTE) 2002-2005 BY DR. JOHN GONERATNE(Stamford Lake) ON 14 JUNE, 2007.) Introduction It is a great honour and a greater pleasure to be invited to participate in this launch of Dr.John Gooneratne's book. Many bonds link John and me - first as fellow students in the University of Peradeniya in the halcyon days of the 1950s which we regard as the 'golden era'. Next as colleagues in the Sri Lanka Foreign Service belonging to the profession of career diplomats who are, alas, an endangered species in our country - when you consider some of the bizarre appointments made to the Foreign Ministry and to our missions abroad recently. Finally, during my 18 month stewardship of the peace secretariat, I was fortunate to have John Gooneratne as the Deputy Secretary-General with his wealth of experience and his shrewd judgment. Before I get into the substance of my remarks let me make a few preliminary points. Firstly, John Gooneratne, self-deprecatingly, sub-titles his book as "A view from the Second Row" . Now I have played some rugby football in my youth and I know that the second row in a rugby scrum is where the power and weight lies. It is the second row that provides the shoving and the pushing that eventually helps to win the ball in the scrums. Similarly, in negotiations, it is the second row that provides the background papers, the options and the research that the first row must depend on to make their political decisions.
    [Show full text]
  • My Memoirs Published by the Gamani Corea Foundation, Vishva Lekha Printers, 2008, PP
    Gamani Corea: My Memoirs Published by the Gamani Corea Foundation, Vishva Lekha Printers, 2008, PP. 483 By Saman Kelegama Review Essay The establishment of the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (SWRD) government opened a new chapter in the planning process in Ceylon. ‘The nationalistic and socialist leaning of Mr. Bandaranaike made him a convinced adherent of the concept of planning’(p.217). What was in doubt was GC’s fate as head of the Planning Secretariat under the Kotalawela government and as the main architect of the Six Year Plan. There had been some rumblings in the Cabinet. However, the new Finance Minister, Stanley de Zoysa who was not subject to political prejudices requested GC to continue, with the concurrence of SWRD. This is an autobiography of a person who participated at the highest centres of policy making at both the national and international levels in the field of development planning and policy. Gamani Corea (GC) wanted to centre his memoirs around his professional life without having a conventional format. Starting work in his memoirs in 1992, he kept writing until he completed them in 2002 when in this very year, he fell ill and could not undertake further work. The Gamani Corea Foundation and a contemporary of GC, Godfrey Gunatilleke put the final touches to the manuscript to bring out this volume. The exercise was funded by Lalith Kotalawela. The Volume is divided into five parts: (1) Growing up; (2) The Years in Cambridge and Oxford; (3) My Career in Sri Lanka; (4) My UNCTAD Days; and (5) Returning Home and After, and covers 483 pages.
    [Show full text]
  • Law, Justice and Governance in Sri Lanka
    Aspects of 50 Years of Law, Justice and Governance in Sri Lanka A Compilation of Papers Presented at The Conference on 50 Years of Law, Justice and Governance in Sri Lanka Aspects of 50 Years of Law, Justice and Governance in Sri Lanka A Compilation of Papers Presented at The Conference on 50 Years of Law, Justice and Governance in Sri Lanka Law & Society Trust 3, Kynsey Terrace Colombo 8 Sri Lanka Aspects of fifty years of Law, Justice & Governance in Sri Lanka © Law & Society Trust March 2005 ISBN 955 - 9062 - 97 - 2 II Aspects of fifty years of Law, Justice & Governance in Sri Lanka Contents Fifty Years of Civil Society Activism in Sri Lanka 1 A General Overview of the Media in Sri Lanka since Independence 33 Judiciary The Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman 77 “Engaging in Participatory Law Reform” 95 The role of the Law Commission as a Legal Institution in Sri Lanka ‘Justicising’ the Law: 137 Public Accountability of the Sri Lankan Legal Profession during the past 50 years Commercial Law 163 Fifty Years of Sri Lanka’s participation in International Trade 185 Is there anyone out there who is watchful in the Public Interest? A brief Examination of Privatisation and the importance of Regulatory Regimes 205 An Appraisal of the Income Tax Laws of Sri Lanka: A Human Rights Perspective 213 A General Overview of the National Intellectual property regime in Sri Lanka since Independence 229 Criminal Law in Sri Lanka 225 General Overview of the Police System in Sri Lanka 269 A General Overview of the Prison System in Sri Lanka since Independence
    [Show full text]
  • Island of Opportunity? a Historical Study on the Recent Change in Sri Lanka’S Foreign Policy
    Island of Opportunity? A historical study on the recent change in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy Master Thesis Robert Oudraad Student Number: 3603490 International Relations in Historical Perspective Thesis Supervisor: Laurien Crump Number of words: 24769 Master Thesis Robert Oudraad The image on the first page shows former President Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulating President Sirisena with his victory at the Sri Lankan Presidential Elections of January 2015. The image originated from the Sangai Express and can be found at the following link: http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=7..100115.jan15 2 j Island of Opportunity ? Master Thesis Robert Oudraad Table of Contents LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4 INTRODUCTION 6 CHAPTER 1 11 1.1 FOREIGN POLICY OF THE EARLY UNP GOVERNMENTS 11 1.2 FOREIGN POLICY UNDER THE BANDARANAIKES UNTIL 1965 14 1.3 SRI LANKAN FOREIGN POLICY IN THE SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES 16 1.4 SRI LANKA’S POST-COLD WAR FOREIGN POLICY UNTIL 2005 22 1.5 AN OVERVIEW OF THE SRI LANKA’S FOREIGN POLICY DURING THE FIRST 60 YEARS 25 CHAPTER 2 28 2.1 RAJAPAKSA AS A WARTIME PRESIDENT 28 2.1.1 EXCLUDING THE WEST AND ENDING THE PEACE PROCESS 29 2.1.2 PLAYING INDIA AND CHINA OFF FOR HELP AGAINST THE LTTE 32 2.2 POST-WAR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 35 2.2.1 INDIAN IRRITATIONS AND SINHALA NATIONALISM 36 2.2.2 CONSOLIDATING RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE 40 2.3 RAJAPAKSA’S FOREIGN POLICY 44 CHAPTER 3 47 3.1 THE MAITHRI FACTOR 47 3.2 SIRISENA’S BACKGROUND 49 3.3 RAPPROCHEMENT WITH THE WEST 50 3.4 REVIVING OLD INDIAN TIES 53 3.5 TAMING THE CHINESE DRAGON 56 3.6 SIRISENA’S FOREIGN POLICY 60 CONCLUSION 62 BIBLIOGRAPHY 67 PRIMARY SOURCES 67 SECONDARY SOURCES 72 3 Island of Opportunity? 3 Master Thesis Robert Oudraad List of abbreviations ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations CEPA: Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement ETCA: Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • Bradman Weerakoon Structure of My Presentation
    July ‘83 Bradman Weerakoon Structure of my presentation • The Context - background causes – key dates from 1976 (5 min) • What I Saw, Felt and Did as violence broke in Colombo (10 min) • What the consequences were for Sri Lanka (5 min) The context " Key dates and events! ! • 1976 14th May – formation of Tamil United Liberation Front and adoption of Vaddukoddai Resolution – ‘to restore and reconstitute a free, sovereign, secular, socialist State of Tamil Eelam’ ! • 1977 General Elections – UNP – 140 seats; TULF - 18 seats; SLFP – 8 seats; (Amirthalingam) (TULF) Leader of the Opposition! The context " Key dates and events! • 1981 ! • 31 May - 3 policemen killed in Jaffna town after TULF DDC election meeting; shops set on fire! • 31/1st June night – Burning of Public Library; by Police! • 4th June – Jaffna DDC elections; rigging by Government; but TULF win all 10 seats in District! The context " Key dates and events! 1982 ! • 20th October – Presidential Election; JRJ wins second term.! • But N and E votes solidly for SLFP candidate Kobbekaduwa! • 22nd December– Referendum; in place of General Election; all districts in North and East vote against the government! The context " Key dates and events! 1983! • 23rd July – 14 army soldiers ambushed/killed at Tinnevely by LTTE; retaliatory rampage by Army kills 50 ! • 24th July – (Sunday) Funeral of soldiers at Kanatte; Burning of Tamil shops and houses; pogrom commences! • 25th July – 35 prisoners killed at Welikade (Monday); Curfew declared - 6 pm to 6 am! • 26th July – 18 more prisoners killed! • 29th July – (Friday) ‘Black Friday’ – rumour of sighting militants in Pettah; pogrom intensifies! What I witnessed (in first few days)! • Armed mobs looking for Tamil (kotti) residents ! • Mob on way to attack Bambalapitiya Kovil! • Looters carrying away household and shop electronic goods! • Torched Tamil businesses – big and small! • From B’pitiya to Mt Lavinia, Galle Road blocked by wrecks of burnt - out vehicles.
    [Show full text]
  • Recovering the Authority of Public Institutions
    Recovering the authority of public institutions Recovering his book makes a shocking revelation. It Recovering the authority T confirms that all those who suffer human rights abuses face the same fate that the assassinated journalist, Lasantha Wickramatunga, predicted for of public institutions himself in addressing the President of Sri Lanka. "In the wake of my death I know you will make all the usual sanctimonious noises and call upon the police A resource book on law and human rights in Sri Lanka to hold a swift and thorough inquiry. But like all the inquiries you have ordered in the past, nothing will come of this one, too." This book is the product of nearly 15 years of work of many persons. Literarily, thousands of persons were interviewed and hundreds of cases were pursued over the course of several years. This journey took us to magistrate’s courts, high courts, the Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court and on some occasions, the United Nations Human Rights Committee. On all these occasions we had the opportunity to observe how the government of Sri Lankan and its agencies acted in the face of the serious complaints raised in these cases. The basis of this book is the detailed records of these cases. Two hundred cases of police torture, mostly from the South, have been summarised here. During most of this period, parts of the North and East were not under the control of the government of Sri Lankan. However, these cases are from the areas under government control and from places far away from the conflict.
    [Show full text]