Monthly Archives: July 2012

Sri Lanka war-affected entrepreneurs to be recognised

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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=353173688#.UAjenD64g10.facebook

July 19, 2012 (LBO) – Entrepreneurship awards by a Sri Lankan business chamber will include two new categories this year to recognise women running small enterprises in the former war zone and disabled entrepreneurs.
Sri Lanka’s 30-year ethnic war which ended in 2009 left thousands of people disabled on both sides of the conflict and women widowed especially in the north and east which bore the brunt of the violence.The new awards are part of the ‘Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2012’ awards organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka and meant to honour enterprising business people. Continue reading →

Land and the National Question in Sri Lanka

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http://groundviews.org/2012/07/13/land-and-the-national-question-in-sri-lanka/

13 Jul, 2012 by 

I am thankful to the Norwegian Tamil Study Forum for inviting me to address this Workshop and am looking forward to listening to the main speakers.

In this brief intervention I wish to make some general comments and raise a few issues, which I believe are pertinent to the purpose of the workshop. I shall offer some background to the concept note before commenting on the current situation. I shall also put forward some ideas for discussion. Continue reading →

Address by Dr. Nimalka Fernando upon receiving the Citizens Peace Award 2011

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Originally published at http://www.peace-srilanka.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=512&Itemid=

Address by Dr Nimalka Fernando on receiving the Citizens Peace Award 2011 of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations & Strategic Studies, Colombo, on June 26, 2012.

Religious leaders, Your Excellencies, Honorable Ministers and Members of Parliament, Political activists and civil society colleagues, friends;

I wish to simply say, thank you, to all of you present here, for sharing this moment of peace with me and the National Peace Council by expressing your commitment to peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

All of you are aware about the challenges that men and women in my country face while working for peace, and for the protection and promotion of human rights. Many have lost their lives for this work. Several others have had to leave the country.

Therefore, while accepting this award, I must say honestly that I am only one among the thousands in many movements and organizations since the late 1970s to have toiled tediously for justice and peace in Sri Lanka. This is more “their” award than mine, and I would like to dedicate this award to my compatriots. Continue reading →