The Agars of De La Salle College hit the Headlines

Michael Roberts

In early February 2020 Wes Agar of the Adelaide Strikers and the South Australian Sheffield Shield side was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year at the Annual Australian Cricket Awards. About ten days later, on 21 February 2020, his elder brother Ashton Agar produced a hat-trick in a five-for haul that led to the demolition of the South African side in a T20 match at Johannesburg.

Tamil Tiger Power-mongering and Accumulation in the Avenues of Britain

ITEM ONE = Glen Jenvey of London – An exclusive to Asian Tribune, entitled “LTTE to take British Government to Courts”

The LTTE – acronym stands for the Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is set to challenge the British Government in the appeal courts, over their banning as the terrorist organization, who were credited with the claim of inventing the modern suicide bombers, and also that they are not a terrorist organization (?) but only ‘Freedom Fighters’ and they have given notice of appeal to the Proscribed Organization’s Appeal Commission, under the Terrorism Act of 2000.

Inform Lanka on Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka. Before and after Elections in 2019

Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka [July-December 2019]

From Wuhan to Diyathalawa: The Tale of Sri Lankans who were Quarantined

Lt. Com Chaminda Walakuluge, in Ministry of Defence Site, 15 February 2020, …. where the title is “Chartered from Wuhan and quarantined at Diyathalawa”

“If you want to describe this place, it’s awesome” Suganthan said. “I will tell all my friends and family that the hospitality and care we received here is beyond ‘star grades’. I have never ever been to a military facility before” Suganthan continued to share his experience at the Diyathalawa Quarantine facility, which was set up by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to quarantine the group of Sri Lankans evacuated from Corona virus hit Wuhan.

Today’s HR Drumbeats vs GSL: Some Critical Responses

Challenges to Recent HR Allegations from Amanda Hodge and Others

A recent criticism by Amanda Hodge in The Australian is one mark of the vociferous claims that human rights activists are under threat in Sri Lanka today under the new regime. Former Minister Eran Wickremeratne’s public claim in the Colombo Telegraph of 21^st February that a witch-hunt is in progress and that the Swiss embassy issue had led to the unjustifiable hounding of Dharisha Bastians, Krishantha Cooray and former CID Director Shani Abeysekera adds fuel to this fire. The second of these claims is bracketed here for further comment when more information reaches us.

HRW and Hodge clamour about Renewed Intimidation under Gota

Amanda Hodge, in The Australian, 20 February 2020, with this title “Fear campaign ‘silencing Sri Lanka activists’

Three months after Sri Lanka’s feared former security minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa won a shock presidential victory, rights groups say security forces and intelligen­ce agencies have intensified surveillance and intimid­ation of activists and families of victims of his former regime.

 Gotabaya Rajapaksa in October 2019  …. Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images

New York-based Human Rights Watch has called on the new government to end the ­intimidation of activists and families of those forcibly disappeared during the country’s 28-year civil war, including the 10 years in which the Rajapaksa family held power until its defeat in 2015.

Sri Lankan Women maul England XI in T20 Warm-up in Adelaide

Michael Roberts

A magnificent all-round performance saw the Sri Lankan Women’s team upset the pecking order in T20 women’s cricket during the warm-up matches being played in the Karen Roltan Oval in my ‘home-town’ of Adelaide this Tuesday 18^th February. England are up there among the leading sides in this form of the game and Sri Lankan lost badly to South Africa in the warm-up on Sunday.

An England batswoman returns to the pavilion in manifest annoyance (at herself)…while heroines in the making, Chamari and Hasini wait to open the innings