This excerpt from Vikalpa, titled "#May18sl “මුල්ලිවෛක්කාල්: සත්‍යයේ ආලෝකය තුළින්, යුක්තියේ බලාපොරොත්තුව සහිත මතකයන්! (Photos) සම්පත් සමරකෝන් විසිනි – Vikalpa”, discusses the ongoing struggle for truth and justice sixteen years after the official end of the war in Sri Lanka. It highlights the remembrance ceremony held at Mullivaikkal, where thousands of Tamil people gathered to mourn their loved ones and demand accountability for loss of life, disappearances, and abductions during the conflict. The article emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the victims' experiences and cautions against attempts to erase their history, citing Howard Zinn's perspective on the injustice of silencing victims' stories. It also contrasts the lack of a just process for the events at Mullivaikkal with the Rwandan genocide's efforts towards truth and reconciliation. Finally, the piece touches upon the persistent issue of land disputes and argues that achieving lasting peace requires respecting the Tamil people's rights and addressing their political aspirations based on truth and justice. 

Audio Overview Generate by: NotebookLM | Original Article in Sinhala and Photos https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44778

Mullivaikkal

Mullivaikkal_ Seeking Truth and Justice

[Audio Overview - Generate by NotebookLM]

Original Sinhala Article: https://www.vikalpa.org/article/44977

The source(vikalpa.org - Sinhala Article by Sampath Samarakoon) expresses significant concern regarding the abrupt cancellation of a purchase order for the 'Anidda' newspaper by a state-affiliated company in Sri Lanka, Lanka Mineral Sands Company. This action is presented not as a simple economic decision, but as a political signal indicating the National People's Power (NPP) government's intolerance for critical media content. The text suggests that this move reflects a lack of courage within the government to intellectually address criticism. Furthermore, the source draws a parallel between this event and China's media model, which ranks 172nd out of 178 countries in press freedom, raising fears that Sri Lanka's close ties with China could lead to a suppression of media independence and pluralism. The author, Sampath Samarakoon, emphasizes that economic pressure on independent media like 'Anidda' is a direct threat to media freedom and democratic values in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Media Freedom, Democracy, and Chinese Influence [Audio Overview - Generate by NotebookLM]

Podcasts on media, democracy, culture & politics.

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