Rest of World: Meet the fact-checkers decoding Sri Lanka’s meltdown. “From protests to power cuts, Watchdog uses open source research to investigate Sri Lanka’s ongoing political and economic crisis.”
The Quint World: Anonymous Attempts To Help Sri Lankans but Instead Leaks Data of Thousands. “Accounts connected with the group have since claimed to have targeted the websites of the Sri Lanka Police, the Ceylon Electricity Board, and the Health Ministry, primarily using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. While their campaign against the government has largely been ineffective, they have released data of thousands of ordinary Sri Lankan citizens that could leave them vulnerable to cybercrimes.”
British Library Endangered Archives: New online – April 2022. “In this month’s round-up we have a collection of portrait photographs from Lima, Peru (EAP1234), and two collections from Sri Lanka, palm-leaf manuscripts from the Jaffna, Vanni, and Mannar districts (EAP1056), and Tamil Protestant records from the Jaffna Peninsula (EAP971). You can read more about each of the projects below and follow the links to see the catalogued records, digitised images, and project information.”
Arab News: Sri Lanka lifts short-lived social media ban as protesters defy curfew. “Ordinary citizens and the opposition in Sri Lanka on Sunday defied a weekend curfew to demand President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation over his handling of the economic crisis, as authorities lifted a short-lived social media shutdown intended to contain growing public dissent.”
NewsIn Asia: Sri Lanka imposes nationwide social media blackout. “The incident comes as the government declares a state of emergency, imposing curfews to counter widespread protests over the economic crisis.Real-time network data show that the restrictions are coming into effect across multiple providers around midnight, corroborating user reports of unavailability on leading network providers.”
Ada Derana (Sri Lanka): Coronavirus: 18 more deaths, 430 new cases confirmed . “The Director General of Health Services has confirmed another 18 coronavirus related deaths for December 18, increasing the death toll in the country due to the virus pandemic to 14,752.”
BBC: Eliyantha White: Sri Lankan shaman dies of Covid after touting cure. “A Sri Lankan shaman who touted a potion which he said would protect people against Covid-19 has died with the disease, his family says. Eliyantha White treated sports stars and top politicians with the potion, which he said came to him in a dream.”
Tamil Guardian: Images of Resistance: An Archive of Action. “The Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action has organised a physical and virtual exhibition showcasing interview, documents, photographs, and untold stories of the 2008-2009 Toronto Protests against the genocidal war in Sri Lanka.”
BBC: Covid-19: Sri Lanka chooses remote island for burials. “A remote island has been chosen by Sri Lanka’s government for the burial of Covid-19 victims from the minority Muslim and Christian communities. The government previously forced minorities to cremate their dead in line with the practice of the majority Buddhists. It claimed burials would contaminate ground water. But the government backed down last week in the face of vehement criticism from rights groups.”
British Library Endangered Archives Blog: New online – February 2021. “February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is another month packed with newly digitised collections being added to the EAP website.”
The Island (Sri Lanka) : Govt. to introduce mechanism to regulate social media. “Minister of Mass Media Keheliya Rambukwella told the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Mass Media on Saturday that a proper mechanism to regulate websites would be introduced within the next two weeks.”
AFP Fact Check: False social media posts purport to share coronavirus guidelines from Sri Lankan hospital. “An image has been shared repeatedly on Facebook and WhatsApp alongside a claim it shows a list of COVID-19 preventive measures issued by Sri Lanka’s Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH). The claim is false; the hospital said it did not issue the purported recommendations; Sri Lankan health officials urged the public to ‘strictly adhere’ to approved COVID-19 guidelines; the purported recommendations in the misleading posts have previously been debunked by health experts.”
BBC: Coronavirus funerals: Sri Lanka’s Muslims decry forced cremation. “Sri Lankan authorities are insisting on cremation for coronavirus victims – a practice forbidden by Islam. The nation’s minority Muslim community says they are using the pandemic to discriminate, writes BBC Sinhala’s Saroj Pathirana.”
BBC: Sri Lanka holds coronavirus-proof test vote ahead of election. “Authorities in Sri Lanka have held mock elections as part of a test of new anti-coronavirus voting measures. Voters wore face masks, stood 1m (3ft) apart in queues and brought their own pens and pencils to mark ballot papers. Officials were protected by plastic screens or face shields, and sprayed disinfectants on voters.”
Colombo Gazette: Online database on politically exposed persons launched. This is for Sri Lanka. “A politically exposed person (PEP) is defined by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as an individual who is or has been entrusted with a prominent public function. Due to their position and influence, it is recognised that many PEPs are in positions that potentially can be abused for the purpose of committing corruption and money laundering offences.” There are currently over 2300 people in the database..
