OPINION

Opinion

Latest news from and about the homeland

The recent head-to-head interview on Al Jazeera with Mehdi Hassan has brought Ranil Wickremesinghe back into the spotlight. The former Sri Lankan president was described as ‘childish’ and ‘callous’ in how he conducted himself. For many Sri Lankan viewers, as commentary flooded social media in the days after it aired, Wickremesinghe was simply an 'embarrassment'. His…

The name makes the news

Labels are the shorthand for judgments.

The fatal fantasy

A lesson in how fieldwork and analysis can lead to catastrophically wrong conclusions.

Rest in peace, Bala Annai

Your people will not rest until your dream of a free Eelam is realized.

The Times Obituary: Anton Balasingham, 1938 – 2006

Journalist who became the chief strategist and negotiator of the Tamil Tigers in their struggle for autonomy.

A moderating influence in the LTTE

ANTON Balasingham, the LTTE's chief negotiator and ideologue who died of bile duct cancer in London on Thursday at the age of 68, was a moderating influence on the militant group's supremo, Velupillai Pirapaharan.

"He knew the importance of flexibility in political negotiations when flexibility was called for. Even though he fully endorsed the hard line of the LTTE and ultimately, always bowed to the wishes of Pirapaharan, he never failed to argue for accommodation when he thought that prudence demanded it," said a Tamil journalist who was close to him.

Driving Norway out

If President Rajapakse can't ask the Norwegians to go, he can certainly make it impossible for them to stay.

It's the global economy, stupid

For the custodians of the global economy US, EU and Japan, ensuring Sri Lanka's stability, not a just peace, is the pressing priority.

Partition wanted, cannot be denied

States enjoy no legitimacy without the consent of their territorial minorities. Britain went to war for this principle in Kosovo.

Ugly Reality

Tamils need to come to terms with the fact that the international community is simply not interested in their difficulties.

What's in it for India?

For decades, cautious and limited engagement with Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis has not served India's interests.