Meet My Country: Sri Lanka, With Bhavani Fonseka and Ambika Satkunanathan

Human rights lawyer Bhavani Fonseka and human rights advocate Ambika Satkunanathan talk about their homeland Sri Lanka – the island nation just off the southeastern coast of India. Sri Lanka boasts a large, well-educated population, great economic potential, a history of democracy, and popular tourist attractions. At the same time, the country has been marred by political violence since its independence in 1948, and the current government’s stand on human rights and governance has come under the close watch of the United Nations yet again.3:48 Background information on Sri Lanka6:00 Bhavani and Ambika’s views on Sri Lanka, and its big brother India10:30 The post-war situation in Sri Lanka16:41 Sri Lanka’s government and its domestic and foreign politics28:21 Bhavani and Ambika’s recommendations for places to visit and food to tryYour host: Denise Staubli, Program Manager, Asia Society Switzerland Moderator: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director Asia Society Switzerland Speakers: Bhavani Fonseka, Senior Researcher and Attorney at Law with the Centre for Policy Alternatives Ambika Satkunanathan, Open Society Fellow and former Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Production: Denise StaubliShow NotesWatalappam – dessert made by Muslim community in Sri LankaHoppers – a staple of Sri Lankan cuisine that can come in many formsSri Lanka’s Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. A Critique of Promises Made and Present Trends, 2021, Report by Center for Policy AlternativesEmblematic Cases Expose the Long Road to Justice in Sri Lanka, February 2021, by Bhavani FonsekaThe long wait for justice, August 2020, by Bhavani FonsekaSurviving War and Victimhood: Women and Tamil Nationalism, March 2021, The Wire, by Ambika SatkunanathanFading Sri Lankan Hopes for Justice Rest on U.N. Rights Council, 24 February 2021, New York Times, by Ambika SatkunanathanIs Sri Lanka's government failing to heal the nation?, February 2021, DW News, Interview with Ambika SatkunanathanDie srilankische Diasporain der Schweiz, 2007, by Joëlle Moret, Denise Efionayi, Fabienne Stants; Bundesamt für Migration BFMAsia Society Switzerland webcast A Closer Look at Sri Lanka with Bhavani Fonseka and Ambika Satkunanathan, May 6, 2021