Viruben Nandakumar

<p><em>Viruben Nandakumar is a staff writer at the Tamil Guardian. He holds a Masters in Political Theory&nbsp;from the London School of Economics and a Bachelors in Politics at the University of Nottingham.</em></p>
  • How Sri Lanka betrayed Shinzo Abe

     

     

     

    Across Sri Lanka, the country’s flag is flown at half-mast on 12th July to mourn the sudden assassination of Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “We have lost a prime minister who gave leadership to Asia,” wrote Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe in an obituary guestbook commemorating the Japanese leader. Despite Sri Lanka’s melancholic posture towards the Japanese leader’s demise, Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has posed a consistent thorn in Abe’s vision for a “free and open Asia-Pacific”.

  • Sri Lanka’s Strategic Ambiguity Won’t Hold

    Writing in The Diplomat, Viruben Nandakumar stresses the need for Indian diplomats to end a policy of appeasement and soberly reflect on the currents of Sinhala Buddhist nationalism, which prohibit further integration between India and Sri Lanka.

    In his inaugural speech, Sri Lanka’s current President Ranil Wickremesinghe signalled a shift in foreign policy to favour relations with India by praising their aid efforts and lamented on cancelled investment projects. Indian investment projects were abandoned for “baseless reasons”, claimed Sri Lanka’s president.

  • In Sri Lanka, the military is still running the show

    Writing in Foreign Policy, Viruben Nandakumar highlights that despite a change in figureheads, Sri Lanka’s military maintains an inflated role in the running of the state.

  • ‘Where are our children?’ – Families of the Disappeared continue protests

    In Vavuniya, Tamil Families of the Disappeared are continuing their protests on the roadside to demand to know what happened to their loved ones.

  • Loaded Gun

    Writing in the Caravan, Viruben Nandakumar details the worrying militarisation of Sri Lankan society and the influence Sri Lanka’s war crimes accused security forces continue to wield.

  • Concerned by future resolutions, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister may delist select diaspora organisations

    Reporting in the Sunday Times LK has indicated that four Tamil diaspora organisations and 318 individuals are to be delisted by the Sri Lankan government in a move to ward off a strong resolution in September when the 51st session of the UN Human Rights Council will be held.

  • ‘Everyone deserves to know what happened to their loved ones’ – US Ambassador on 'essential' tour of Jaffna

    Amidst Sri Lanka’s political and economic tumult, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, made a historic visit to Jaffna where she met with Tamil families of the disappeared, major Tamil political parties, civil society actors, religious groups, and business communities to discuss the impact of the crisis.

  • US Ambassador visits temples amidst heightened concerns of religious persecution

    US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, made visits to both the Hindu Ponnambalawaneswaram temple and the Buddhist Gangaramaya monastery amidst heightened concerns of religious persecution in Sri Lanka.

  • ‘Are you angry because we eradicated terrorism’ Sarath Fonseka attacks UN Human Rights Commissioner

    Speaking in parliament, former Sri Lankan army commander, Sarath Fonseka accused UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet of harbouring LTTE sympathies and only listening to “one side of the story”.

  • Tamil LGBTQ voices face even greater risk in Sri Lanka

    As the Sri Lankan state continues to ramp up its militarisation of the North-East, an already marginalised community has now found itself under greater threat. The Tamil LGBTQ community, which has long faced its own intra-community discrimination and struggles for recognition has in recent months come under mounting pressure. A military enforced lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and looming parliamentary elections has exacerbated existing inequalities.

  • 50 years of Rajapaksa – A collective failure

    This week has seen a series of political leaders congratulate Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, alleged war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, for his 50 years in parliament. His political career is marked by the entrenchment of a corrupt military establishment; virulent Sinhala Buddhist nationalism; and a genocidal campaign against the Tamil people.

  • In response to COVID-19, we cannot give authoritarians a free hand

    The coronavirus pandemic has instilled a global sense of panic as the death toll continues to climb.

  • The lesser evil?



    In the lead up to the Sri Lankan Presidential election 16 November, both Sinhala and Tamil political commentators have quipped that this election is a clear cut choice between “the lesser of two evils” and have insisted on drawing parallels to the 2015 and 2005 elections...

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