Ajit Randeniya As far as double-barrel names go, the name of Mandana Ismail-Abeywickrema (MIA), one of the self-described “ƒ”¹…”investigative’ reporters at The Sunday Leader is a “ƒ”¹…”corker’, as an Australian would say. ƒ”š‚ This MIA has probably been more fortunate with her naming than her other inheritance, ƒ”š‚ the mantle of that erstwhile “ƒ”¹…”investigative reporter’ and current […]

Ajit Randeniya The report last week of former head of the Peace Secretariat, Bernard Gunatilleke’s evidence before the Lessons Learnt Commission on the processes relating to the signing of the so-called 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) was “ƒ”¹…”enlightening’, unfortunately in a frighteningly negative way. ƒ”š‚ While Bernard Gunatilleke’s evidence brings to light the usual, deceptive tricks […]

Ajit Randeniya Hamlet is generally considered the most highly developed of Shakespeare’s genre of the Revenge Play that includes Macbeth, Julius Caesar and Richard III. His use of a liberated form of blank verse without formal line limits “ƒ¢¢”š¬‚ the unrhymed, iambic pentameter- from the kind that had been made fashionable by Thomas Kyd and […]

Ajit Randeniya Late last month, there were two pointers, both arising from the UN within the span of just two days, that exposed the ugliness of the US devised human rights conspiracy and the increasingly visible face of the UN as an organisation serving only the interests of the rich, domineering countries. ƒ”š‚ On 28 July, […]

Ajit Randeniya That failed NGO worker masquerading as a newspaper editor courtesy of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), USAID, and various cults, Frederica Jansz, appeared to be throwing another tantrum on Sunday; she was ranting and raving about her “ƒ”¹…”newspaper’ being overlooked for a Journalism Award “ƒ”¹…”for Excellence’ by the Editor’s Guild of Sri Lanka […]

Ajit Randeniya It is for very good reasons that Robert Blake who “ƒ”¹…”underachieved’ in terms of neocon expectations in Sri Lanka was quickly appointed Assistant Secretary in the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs: the region involving Afghanistan and Central Asia that is crucial to the illegal war in Afghanistan needed […]

Ajit Randeniya In August 1964, the CIA faked an incident during which they loaded up a boat with weapons, floated it off the coast of central Vietnam and shot it up. Then they brought in the American press and declared to America and the world that a fire fight had taken place during which North […]

Ajit Randeniya ƒ”š‚ The statement last week by Ranil Wickremesinghe that the UNP will “ƒ”¹…”never support constitutional amendments aimed at the perpetuation of the family rule’ is unremarkable: coming from a man who should know a few things about family rule, such dross is likely to receive the level of derision it deserves from the Sri […]

Ajit Randeniya ƒ”š‚ The effect of the war years on the great tradition of English language journalism in Sri Lanka is often buried among the more pressing concerns arising from the obvious consequences on the Sri Lankan economy, the national psyche and its cultural life. ƒ”š‚ Until the early years of the war, the early 1970s, Sri […]

Ajit Randeniya The term “ƒ”¹…”fallacy’ in philosophy refers to misconceptions resulting from incorrect reasoning in argumentation: for example, an argument based on assertions that presuppose issues that have not been accepted by all the people involved in the debate is referred to as logical fallacy “ƒ”¹…”of many questions’ (Latin: plurium interrogationum), distinct from the other […]

Ajit Randeniya Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has not stopped whingeing since he got back from Singapore after the rejection of his nomination last week for the position of deputy president of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He received a modest degree of support from the Australian media and the public, varying in quality […]

Ajit Randeniya The world outside Australia probably failed to notice one of the most significant political events, an Australian regime change: for the first time in Australian history, an elected prime minister was ousted during the first term of his government. The unprecedented ousting followed an intensive twelve hour coup orchestrated by groups outside the […]

Ajit Randeniya The appointment by Ban Ki-Moon of a panel to advice him on the accountability process has justifiably attracted the ire of most Sri Lankans, the Sri Lankan government and some foreign observers. On closer inspection however, the devil does not appear as black as it appears at first blush; it is just a […]

Ajit Randeniya The current “ƒ”¹…”debate’ in Sri Lanka about the trends in the development of the English language needs analysis at different levels. The government, the education system including the teachers and academics face the task of considering the social and political consequences of moving towards English whereas practitioners in the media and creative arts […]

Ajit Randeniya Sri Lankan newspapers appear to regularly report worrying reports of urgent needs such as medical supplies to hospitals, and as the recent flash floods sickeningly demonstrated, the re-engineering of the city storm water drainage network needs to be undertaken urgently. Curiously however the Colombo elite, instead of pursuing these vital social needs, appear […]

Ajit Randeniya Attempts by (N)GOs and numerous peace merchants to sell solutions to Sri Lanka’s “ƒ”¹…”problem’ appear to be continuing unabated: the latest is a sort of an “ƒ”¹…”opinion poll’ conducted by a private concern named “ƒ”¹…”Peace Polls’, masquerading as another “ƒ”¹…”study’.ƒ”š‚  ƒ”š‚ There appears to be a concerted move by the proponents of the devolution […]

Ajit Randeniya Last week’s dastardly murder of nine unarmed aid workers on the Mavi Marmara that was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza by the Israelis was a war crime committed by Benjamin Netanyahu, the unprincipled thug addicted to the use of Israeli military might provided by America. ƒ”š‚ This latest display of Israeli criminality provides further […]

Ajit Randeniya ƒ”š‚ Sri Lankans may need to spare a thought for the various (N)GOs, especially those based in Sri Lanka, who made good business out of the war and then became casualties themselves at the end. The “ƒ”¹…”poor’ thieves have discovered that no one cares “ƒ”¹…”two hoots’ about them or their opinions any more. In […]

Ajit Randeniya The news that a number of test cricket playing nations including Sri Lanka are unhappy with the nomination of the former Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the position of vice president of the International Cricket Conference (ICC) is music to our ears. ƒ”š‚ A detailed look at the total inappropriateness of this nomination […]

Ajit Randeniya The so-called International Crisis Group (ICG), is one of the fraudulentƒ”š‚ organisations that conducts theirƒ”š‚ nefarious activities under the guise of self-appointed moralƒ”š‚ force of the world;ƒ”š‚ they haveƒ”š‚ access to almost unlimited volumes of finance provided by western governments and various other individuals and ‘foundations’ intent on intervening in affairs of other countries, mainlyƒ”š‚ for the purpose of […]

Ajit Randeniya Ever since the war ended, haranguing of the government by external intruders such as the US, EU and the so-called INGOs, as well as the Colombo “ƒ”¹…”kultur’ set on implementing the All Party Representative Conference (APRC) recommendations has not stopped. ƒ”š‚ These groups seem to be promoting devolution of power to the north and […]

Ajit Randeniya Reports over the last week were incessant as to how the formation of a coalition government between two most unlikely partners, the Conservative and the Liberal Democratic parties is going to usher a new era for Britain. ƒ”š‚ Much has been made about the similarities between the new Prime Minister David Cameron (Call Me […]

Ajit Randeniya The Sunday Leader, if you haven’t heard about it yet, is the practitioner of “ƒ”¹…”Yellow Journalism’ in Sri Lanka: it presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead, gives vent to just malicious grumbling of its backers, uses blaring headlines and sensationalised stories of non-news. It generally resorts to scandal-mongering in an […]

Ajit Randeniya One of the more bizarre gestures of international relations came March 2 when Hillary Clinton was captured on photo, gifting a satellite phone to the out-going Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; the gesture was considered bizarre because the purpose of Clinton’s visit was to offer US condolences and material aid following the magnitude 8.8 […]

Ajit Randeniya The National Press Club in Washington (NPC) is an awe inspiring place with a long history of over 100 years, albeit a racist one. This writer had the first opportunity to enter the hallowed rooms of the NPC, back in 2002, June 17 to be exact, after being signed in by a friend […]

Ajit Randeniya ƒ”š‚ What was remarkable about the Sivaram phenomenon was that the state media and the media consuming general public always suspected that there was more to “ƒ”¹…”Taraki’ than his “ƒ”¹…”commentary’ they came across in the morning newspaper. ƒ”š‚ Raising such concerns by the state media in 2001 led to the New York based CIA front […]

Ajit Randeniya April 28 marks the fifth anniversary of the abduction and murder of Dharmeratnam “ƒ”¹…”Taraki’ Sivaram. The death of Sivaram in April 2005 elicited an inordinately high level of mourning from amongst the English speaking urbanites of Sri Lanka, foreign meddlers with vested interests led by a group of American Anthropologists, and the LTTE. […]

Ajit Randeniya It is easy to miss important anniversaries because every day of the year marks one or another. For example, the 50th anniversary of the snapping, by Fidel Castro’s personal photographer Alberto DƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚­az “ƒ”¹…”Korda’ GutiƒÆ’†’ƒ”š‚©rrez (1928-2001), of “ƒ”¹…”that’ photograph of Ernesto “ƒ”¹…”Che’ Guevera that fell on 4 March failed to register a blimp in […]

Ajit Randeniya One of the oddities observed during the lead up the presidential election, as well as the general election, was the appearance on the opposition platform of Upeksha Swarnamali, a young teledrama actress, a.k.a Paba and Chanchala; she is a young damsel who seems to have become a legend in her own bath time […]

Ajit Randeniya While the Sri Lankans were defying US pressure, propaganda and other conspiracies to elect a new independent, non-aligned, national government on 8 April, the US empire received another blow with the violent throw out of a corrupt US puppet government in the central Asian country of Kyrgyztan. ƒ”š‚ Kyrgyztan was an important early success […]