Vincent Bulathsinghala, Sri Lanka

1. Student Days.

I received my higher education in Business Management in the University of Kelaniya from 1980-83. During this period, as a member of the main student council, I was actively engaged in the activities for the students’ rights and national politics. One important issue during this period was the White Paper on education which, in our view, was an attempt to deprive people their right to free education. This move was defeated after the student population took to street demonstrations.

In addition, I was also a member of the Catholic Student Movement. Regular awareness programmes were held, particularly on the realities of the poor and the marginalized people with the cooperation of the Janawaboda Kendraya. We as student leaders made several efforts to sensitize people in the South on the question of the Tamil people in the North and the East and to fight communalism in the South. 2. Option to Join Janawaboda Kendraya.

In 1983, when I completed my degree, I decided to join Janawaboda Kendraya as a full timer. Since then until now, I have been working with the poor of Negombo, particularly the traditional fisher communities, for their basic rights such as shelter, education and health.

While working at Janawaboda kendraya, I passed out as an attorney from the Law College of Colombo. I married Chandani who is also a lawyer in 1993 and we have 3 daughters. 3. Coping with the Free Market Policy.

In the latter part of 1980s, Sri Lanka experienced severe student and worker unrest and political instability. One of the main factors which contributed to this situation was the Free Market Policy of the government.

The first category of people immediately affected by the Free Market Policy was the workers and they demanded wage rise of Rs. 500.00 to meet the cost of living. When that was ignored they called for a general strike. The reaction of the totalitarian government then was to deprive 40,000 workers of jobs quite arbitrarily. Unfortunately, even the political parties, which organized the trade union action backed out. Then an organization of the workers was born to fight for the lost jobs of the strikers. The Janawaboda Kendraya fully supported this movement. In 1987, a national campaign was launched in support of the strikers. This action was considered by the local political authorities and the police an anti government activity. While some of us were putting up posters on the street walls myself and some of our colleagues were taken into custody by the police. Later due to the pressure from the networks we were released. 4. Period of 89-90

The students opposed the move of the government tried again to privatize the university education. One private medical college was started and that resulted student protests from the student bodies island-wide. The political climate became worse towards the end of the decade with a mass uprising of the JVP and the war in the North and the East.

By 1989 the opposition to the government was mounted from all sides. Simultaneously, the government using brutal methods suppressed every democratic resistance. It was during this period that about 60000 young people disappeared. My own brother was such a victim. He was taken away at midnight on mistaken identity.

During the same period, another member of our group was taken away at night for questioning by the police. One senior member, who was a priest, was questioned for harboring the insurgents. The situation was becoming intolerable and I had to take refuge in a foreign country for about a year and half.

However since my return home in 1992, we are again engaged in the defense of human rights of the marginalized communities, workers, patients and victims of globalization. Defending the rights of the victims of globalization is now the biggest challenge. In making this struggle a success we have been able to form a National Alliance for Protection of National Resources and Human Rights. We have a big responsibility in this regard because most of the Macro projects (such as the extension of the International Airport in Colombo and two express highways) are located in our district. As a result, thousands have become victims due to the deprivation of their means of livelihoods.

More particularly, during the past few years, we have been trying again to work at the grassroots level to educate the people in the South on the rights of the Tamils. We have organized educational trips to the North, met the ordinary people there, talked to the leaders and held exhibitions in the South and joined public demonstrations against the war.