Going out in a foreign country is always a great way to get to know what ‘normal’ life means to locals. But Colombo party scene is rather, well, let’s say reduced. Most areas of the town completely shut down at night and the streets are rather empty. Looking for a restaurant, let alone a bar… [Read more…]
July 27, 2009
By Melanie Gouby The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to grant a $2.5 billion loan to Sri Lanka despite allegations of human rights abuses by government troops during the conflict against the guerilla group known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In February, Sri Lanka urgently requested an IMF credit facility of… [Read more…]
July 15, 2009
NGOs have had a controversial record in Sri Lanka. From the mishandling of the post-tsunami aid relief, to the government’s accusation that they support the LTTE, their work has not always been unanimously approved. Talking to fishermen, farmers and businessmen on the East coast, their evaluation of the support they received from foreign NGOs after the tsunami… [Read more…]
July 11, 2009
There is one person I really must talk about because he is almost surreal. He is our driver, Wasanta. Wasanta is a man in his late forties, not very tall, with oval glasses, from the Singhalese community and obviously very proud of it, very proud of his personal achievements and the achievements of the government. Now don’t… [Read more…]
July 8, 2009
Read here an article by Reuters on the fall in government revenue and the delaying of the IMF loan, supposedly because of western countries disapproval of the war.
July 6, 2009
We left Colombo at 4 am on Sunday to go to Arugam Bay, a small town on the East coast of Sri Lanka. Our driver, Wasanta, is a forty year old man, who works in the textile industry and drive tourists around to get a bit of extra money. He was recommended to us by the AFP… [Read more…]
July 4, 2009
Going through Colombo on the first day was far easier than I expected. I had been told that check points are plenty in the city since the government is afraid of suicide bombers sent by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, otherwise known as the Tamil Tigers. But the conflict being now officially over, the… [Read more…]
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July 29, 2009
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