Sri Lanka's next incarnation (Henry Wismayer, The Hamilton Spectator, South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/sri-lanka-s-next-incarnation/n/21090

The story of a Sri Lankan woodcarver who became a prisoner and a political artist (Dev Pathak, Scroll.in, South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/the-story-of-a-sri-lankan-woodcarver-who-became-a-prisoner-and-a-political-artist/n/20268

In the wash-up, Sri Lankan asylum loser wins (Greg Bearup, The Australian, South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/in-the-wash-up-sri-lankan-asylum-loser-wins/n/20165

Sri Lanka first South Asian nation to join Open Government Partnership (South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/sri-lanka-first-south-asian-nation-to-join-open-government-partnership/inthenews/20156

Sold: Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port And The World's Emptiest Airport Go To The Chinese (Wade Shepard, South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/sold-sri-lanka-s-hambantota-port-and-the-world-s-emptiest-airport-go-to-the-chinese/n/20136

Sri Lanka. Let’s not give ethnic colouring to the killing of two students (South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/let-s-not-give-ethnic-colouring-to-the-killing-of-two-students/n/20055

Sri Lanka. Mr. President, please explain (South Asia Monitor)

President Maithripala Sirisena’s remark at a function held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on October 12 that the CID, FCID and the Independent Commissions are politicised, has also been politicised within hours.

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/mr-president-please-explain/n/19926

News by South Asia Monitor

On their own, Afghan Forces strain to combat Taliban offensives (Mujib Mashal and Fahim Abed)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/on-their-own-afghan-forces-strain-to-combat-taliban-offensives/n/19784

Social immobility in Pakistan (Umair Javed)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/social-immobility-in-pakistan/n/19785

Nepal. Heart health promotion: From community level (Abhinav Vaidya)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/heart-health-promotion-from-community-level/n/19787

Bangladesh. A democratic right (Nur E Emroz Alam Tonoy)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/a-democratic-right/n/19786

Cookbook Tells The Story Of Sri Lanka's Civil War Through Food (Vidya Balachander)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/cookbook-tells-the-story-of-sri-lanka-s-civil-war-through-food/n/19788

India. Address the 'new normal' in Kashmir (M.K. Narayanan)

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/address-the-new-normal-in-kashmir/n/19783

Transnational crime in Sri Lanka: Future considerations for international cooperation (Mitchell Sutton, Serge DeSilva-Ranasinghe, ASPI)

This report examines transnational, serious and organised crime in Sri Lanka, its impact on neighbouring states, law enforcement cooperation, and the influence of Sri Lanka’s changing geopolitical and economic orientation on criminal activity.

Geopolitical change was a major influence on the patterns of transnational crime in Sri Lanka, especially the end of the civil war in 2009 and the destruction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE’s demise ended some activity while changing the patterns of transnational crimes such as arms smuggling, people smuggling and human trafficking.

Still, the threat of transnational crime hasn’t disappeared. People smuggling and associated crimes are likely to remain the main concerns for Australia. Drug, arms and human trafficking are likely to pose problems for India and Southeast Asia.

Solutions must necessarily come from both domestic and regional sources, and involve neighbouring states working with the Sri Lankan Government to develop strategies to jointly reduce the threat.

https://www.aspi.org.au/publications/transnational-crime-in-sri-lanka-future-considerations-for-international-cooperation

Will Sri Lanka find more takers in South Asia? (Padma Rao Sundarji, South Asia Monitor)

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is currently on his second visit to India within two years since the unlikely 'rainbow' coalition of his United National Party (UNP) and the faction of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) under President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in a stupendous election in January 2015. One of the earliest promises made by Wickremesinghe's government was to restore ties with India which, under the former government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had sunk to their lowest levels.

http://southasiamonitor.org/news/will-sri-lanka-find-more-takers-in-south-asia-/n/19740

Sri Lanka. Ariyadhamma Anunayake Thera led by example (South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=19256

Sri Lanka. The principle of culpability (Malinda Seneviratne, South Asia Monitor)

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17511

Responding to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis (Iromi Dharmawardhane, East Asia Forum)

Sri Lanka’s balance of payments is in dire straits. The country’s mounting foreign and domestic public debt, a huge fiscal deficit and a severe foreign exchange shortfall have led to potentially calamitous economic circumstances. Sri Lanka has not yet secured the means to meet its upcoming foreign loan repayments — US$4.5 billion is due over the next year, to be followed by another US$4 billion in the subsequent year

http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/05/27/responding-to-sri-lankas-economic-crisis/

Time to seize the moment in Sri Lanka (Alan Keenan, International Crisis Group)

The bloody end of Sri Lanka’s long civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has been marked across the country this month in very different ways, highlighting both the tentative progress made over the past year and the profound divisions still be overcome seven years into peacetime

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/sri-lanka/op-eds/keenan-time-to-seize-the-moment-in-sri-lanka.aspx

Public returning home in Sri Lanka (South Asia Monitor, Sri Lanka)

The public who are returning home after being stranded in floods and landslides have been urged to be cautious of health issues

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17184

Seven years after the end of Sri Lanka's war (Mahendra Thiruvarangan, South Asia Monitor)

When the civil war came to an end in May 2009, I was still a final year undergraduate at the Peradeniya University. It was many miles away from the war zone. The only avenues that supplied us with details about the happenings in the war theatre were TV channels. The other modes were pro-LTTE websites releaseing carefully filtered out reports singularly focusing on the deaths of civilians caused by the military leaving no trace about how the top LTTE leadership was recruiting children and adults, despite knowing so well they had already lost the battle or how the civilians who were fleeing the war zone were shot by the militants

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17163

Sri Lanka. Use of flood aids: Transparency, accountability essential (South Asia Monitor)

With heavy rains and gale force winds continuing for the eighth day yesterday while the south-west monsoon is likely to begin today, more than half-a-million people have been seriously affected in the worst-ever flood havoc in 25 years. The confirmed death toll yesterday afternoon was 82 with about 140 still missing or feared dead while more than 200,000 people have found temporary shelter in temples, churches, schools and other places

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17139

Problem of Fishermen in India-Sri Lanka Relations (Gautam Sen, IDSA)

During his latest visit to India in early May, President Maithripala Sirisena is reported to have discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the problem of frequent arrests of fishermen of both countries and seizures of their fishing vessels by the Sri Lankan and Indian authorities in the common sea area between the two countries. The issue is not new. The problem has been festering with political ramifications, particularly in Tamilnadu for a number of years. The situation with regard to fishing has gradually turned out to be adverse for Tamil fishermen from Sri Lanka’s northern province after the end of the Fourth Eelam War in 2009

http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/problem-of-fishermen-in-india-sri-lanka-relations_gsen_200516

Sri Lanka. Help flood victims as a 'Vesak Pinkama (South Asia Monitor)

With weather patterns becoming unpredictable even with the use of hi-tech equipment, Sri Lanka is struggling through one of its worst-ever floods in recent decades. Experts say the extreme weather patterns and their unpredictable nature are largely the consequences of climate change and global warming. Till May 15 Sri Lanka was virtually boiling with temperatures reaching their hottest points in recorded history. But suddenly we were taken from one extreme to another with hundreds of thousands of people displaced, rivers and canals overflowing as are the major water reservoirs where sluice gates have been opened and millions of litres of water are going waste if not causing devastation

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17095

Sri Lanka's uneasy peace (Taylor Dibert, South Asia Monitor)

Sri Lanka’s civil war ended on May 18, 2009 — seven years ago. The country’s government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers, a group that had been fighting for a separate Tamil state in the nation’s northern and eastern provinces. Credible allegations of abuses committed by Sri Lankan military personnel and the Tigers have persisted since the conclusion of war

http://southasiamonitor.org/detail.php?type=n&nid=17077