At stake are the jobs of tens of thousands of fishermen, and nutrition of hundreds of millions of people living in Indian Ocean rim countries.

From Kotagala struggle now we have entered the battle to free Azath Sally. We got together as the Movement for Unity with Power Sharing some time back. Team consisted of Mano, Sumanthiran, Azath, Siri and I.

The significance of the US draft is the establishment of an international mechanism to monitor an internal process.” -- Tamara Kunanayakam, Sri Lanka’s representative at the UN Geneva, 2011-2012, in an interview on 17 March 2013

Another Rajapaksa modus operandi 'arrest' has been reported in Colombo where the former deputy mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council was arrested from his daughter's house under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) undertook a field visit to Jaffna andKillinochchi districts in April to assess the rule of law and human securitysituation in the areas. The CPA team spoke with a cross section of actorsincluding Government officials, politicians, humanitarian agencies, civil society,media and community groups.

“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

“Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties” John Milton

3rd May was declared as World Press Freedom day by the UN General Assembly in 1991. Since then, it is celebrated every year, around the world. It is a time to cherish, re-assert and enhance fundamental principles of freedom of expression, recognize the courage and sacrifices made by numerous individuals and groups, asses threats – past, present and future – and plan accordingly.

The grip of the ruler based on Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism is breaking down. It is thanks to this grip which subdued the Sinhala petty bourgeoisie, that Keheliya Rambukwella the government spokesman, could ignore the fact that parliamentarians pay just Rs.2000/- per month for electricity in their free official residences and intimidates the poor.

The new tariff structure, introduced with effect from 20 April I believe, has been designed by a bunch of morons. CEB engineers, when asked why the university need embarrass itself by awarding degrees to morons, just pass the buck and say the government and the IMF forced them to introduce the MTS (Moronic Tariff Scheme).

Thanthai Chelvanayagam memorial lecture (to mark 36 th aneversary of S.J.V. Chelvanayagam) by Justice C.V.Wigneswaran on 'Whither Sri Lankan Tamils' on 26 th April in 2013 at new Kathiresan hall in Bambalapitiya.

The military rule in northern Sri Lanka is such that even a Tamil politician from the ruling party cannot become a civil governor of the province, said the NSSP general secretary.

Any student affected due to repeated alteration of advance level results and violation of court orders may seek compensation from the Additional secretary responsible for university admissions. UGC failed to inform students changes made on method of university admissions prior to the examinations.

IT IS a regular humid, traffic-jampacked weekday evening in Colombo on 12 April. At one of the busiest intersections in the city, a group of people gather. They light some candles and, slowly but surely, gentle voices begin to fill the air.

Recently, an outgoing diplomat had the temerity to pose questions about the racial and religious tensions in our country, conveniently pretending that no such violence or communal discord is taking place in his own country, far worse and in far greater proportion and frequency than in Sri Lanka.

Boris Dittrich, head of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy at Human Rights Watch, discusses the current debates on same-sex marriage in Europe and the United States and virulent homophobia in Russia and Uganda.