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An Avoidable Environmental Catastrophe: Where Did it Go Wrong?
Jayantha Wijesinha
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the greatest marine disaster in its history caused by the burning and sinking of the MV X-Press Pearl in the shallow waters less than 10 nautical miles north of Colombo Harbour. It is the second calamity in less than a year, both similar nature, involving ships carrying dangerous materials. Almost a week passed before the list of materials onboard was shared with the public. Was it given to the firefighting team, and if so, at what point was it given? Had that cargo list been made available at the very outset, firefighting efforts might have been strategised better, provided that the right experts with common sense were in charge.
Read more here.
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Qadri Ismail: In Memoriam
Sanjana Hattotuwa
Prof. Ismail (Qadri) was one of the earliest champions of Groundviews, and over the years, one of its best critics and contributors. Qadri and I met infrequently, but corresponded over email at a pace determined, often, by socio-political developments in Sri Lanka coloured by electoral moments, Islamophobia, violence or political turmoil. These were moments when a draft of an article, to Groundviews or some other platform, would be sent, and prior to publication, we exchanged some thoughts over. This is a polite way of saying that our exchanges were seldom in agreement with his preferred thrust or tone, but in that difference (and, admittedly, in the early years, a self-imposed deference) there was so much that I learnt, and I would like to think, he enjoyed debating too.
Read more here.
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Office on Missing Persons and Zero Policy on Justice
Basil Fernando
One of the issues that demonstrated the approach of the Sri Lankan authorities to the problem of enforced disappearances can be discovered in a study of the narrative of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP). In essence, what it shows is the international diplomacy of deception that the authorities have cleverly developed and practiced over a long period of time in dealing with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN agencies relating to human rights. The diplomacy of the deception became blatantly manifest with the appointment of the new Commissioners to this office recently. Some of the names included will naturally create cynical laughter among anyone who knows about these individuals who have been appointed and their own involvements in the events relating to enforced disappearances and also in the diplomacy of deception, particularly in relation to matters relating to justice.
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The Extraordinary Life, Times and Talent of Laki Senanayake
Michael Meyler
Laki was born in 1937. He could have had a privileged Colombo upbringing, but his parents belonged to a radical left-wing and pro-independence political movement. His father, formerly a planter, was a founder member of the LSSP, who spent some time in hiding in India. His mother, a teacher, was later the first woman MP in the country. When Laki was five, his father was imprisoned by the British colonial administration for his subversive political activity, and Laki moved with his mother and seven siblings to a coconut estate near Chilaw. As a result he spent a large part of his early childhood living in the countryside, and relatively unsupervised. This suited him well, and he launched into the two passions which were to become central to his identity: exploring the natural world, and art.
Read more here.
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Avoiding Necrocapitalism in Sri Lanka's Free Trace Zones
Samanthi Gunawardana and Buddhima Padmasiri
Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workers are employed in global factories deeply embedded in global supply chains. Historically, they contribute significantly to Sri Lanka’s export income and economic development goals. Women, who make up the majority of workers in the zones and are employed in the apparel sector that constitutes the majority of factories in the zones, have been lauded as queens and the pride of Sri Lanka. Yet their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic has been anything but queenly.
Read more here.
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The X-Press Pearl Fire - A Disaster of Unimaginable Proportions
Hemantha Withanage
After 12 days, the ship MV X-Press Pearl finally sank about 9.5 nautical miles from the Colombo harbour. It has not sunk fully because it is touching a coral bed. The ship had been burning from May 20; an explosion six days later brought disaster in the form of small white plastic pellets spread around almost one third of the coastline from Galle to Kalpitiya. The pellets are low density polyethylene plastic nurdles. The busy East-West shipping route passes six to ten nautical miles south of the country. More than 60,000 ships ply this route annually carrying two thirds of the world’s oil and half its container shipments. Although there are thousands of ships passing by Sri Lanka every day, major ship accidents are rare. However, the fire on X-Press Pearl is the second accident during the last 10 months.
Read more here.
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Ecosystem Restoration is Not a Choice But an Imperative
Devaka K. Weerakoon
The theme for the World Environment Day 2021 is Ecosystem Restoration. The main aim of the World Environment Day this year is to garner support for a global initiative that will be launched by UN termed Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. Ecosystem restoration can take many forms ranging from restoring degraded or destroyed natural ecosystems to greening cities as well as one’s own backyard. Therefore, every citizen has a role to play during the decade of ecosystem restoration if the target of restoring 350 million hectares is to be met successfully by 2030. Aim of this article is therefore, to create awareness about the need for ecosystem restoration, showcase some of the ongoing and planned work in Sri Lanka to support this imitative and to encourage all citizens of Sri Lanka to be active partners of this imitative at a personal, institutional and national level.
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Hidden and Discounted: Child Labour in Tea and Tourism
Buddhini Withana
In the South Asian region, Sri Lanka is a success story when it comes to tackling child labour. The widely prevalent forms of child labour in the 1990s and before, such as children in domestic servitude and children’s engagement in hazardous labour in industries, have drastically declined. This transformation has been the result of greater awareness among the public, law reform and enhanced law enforcement as well as more businesses steering away from the employment of children. However, two of the country’s biggest industries – tea and tourism – still engage children in their enterprises.
Read more here.
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