Raisa Wickrematunge

Sri Lanka

Deputy Editor at Himal Southasian

Writer at Freelance

Deputy Editor @himalistan. Sign up for Southasia Weekly: https://t.co/etzXrCdBV5 Bluesky: https://t.co/bDpyINchiz

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Articles

India descends to warmongering after Pahalgam

2 weeks ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

We’re just 13 new Patrons short of reaching our target of 38 Patrons for 38 years to mark the 38th anniversary of Himal Southasian this May. Clickhere to join our Patron programme and help us on our way. We have a special surprise coming up at the end for all new Patrons who come aboard in May – so become a Patron today!This week, Rahul Rao writes about India’s near-complete surrender to war lust in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.
Communal hatred and censorship amid India - Pakistan attacks – Southasia Weekly #65

3 weeks ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

We’re just four new Patrons short of our halfway target of 19 in our 38 Patrons for 38 years campaign to mark the 38th anniversary of Himal Southasian this May. Clickhere to join our Patron programme and help us on our way to 38 new Patrons this month.
Maldives protests, the history of caste slavery and more

1 month ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

We're thrilled to share that we already have 6 new Patrons signed up as part of our 38 Patrons for 38 years campaign! We're hoping that even more of you will sign up to become paying supporters as we celebrate 38 years of Himal - so we can bring you even more from around the region.
Destruction and resurrection after Nepal's 2015 earthquake

1 month ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Eileen McDougall writes about how residents of Langtang Valley in Nepal rebuilt after an earthquake in 2015, with residents coming together to reconstruct their homeplace in the face of government inefficiency and inadequate funds and infrastructure. For the next episode of the State of Southasia podcast, host Nayantara Narayanan speaks with social anthropologist Alpa Shah about the 2018 Bhima Koregaon case and how it has come to represent India’s democratic decline.
Who is counting India's heat deaths?

1 month ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Jeff Joseph writes that ineffective advisories and the undercounting of heat-related deaths leaves millions of Indians vulnerable to extreme heat and the climate crisis. Joseph notes that Southasia is home to 29 percent of people living in extreme poverty, who are most at risk from heatwaves, adding that it is imperative for the region’s governments to act to help them.
Bangladesh’s fragile media freedom – Southasia Weekly #61

1 month ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Cyrus Naji writes about a Media Reform Commission set up by Bangladesh’s interim government to address press freedom, and the threats and patterns of control that remain. For the next episode of the State of Southasia podcast, host Nayantara Narayanan speaks with writer and editor Pranaya SJB Rana about the pro-monarchy protests and public discontent around political corruption in Nepal.
What’s fuelling Nepal’s pro monarchy protests? – Southasia Weekly #60

2 months ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

Before we kick off this week's newsletter, we want to hear from you. Please fill out our short reader survey- it takes less than five minutes (we promise!)This week, Amish Mulmi writes about the recent violent pro-monarchy protests, which reveals Nepal’s incomplete transition from Hindu kingdom to secular republic, fuelled by nationalist myth and India’s Hindu Right.
How Bangladesh exploits the Rohingya crisis - Southasia Weekly #59

2 months ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Shafiur Rahman writes that Bangladesh’s accommodation of the Rohingya, while seen as humanitarian, is part of an exploitative system that profits from their labour, denies them opportunities and locks them into dependence on foreign aid. For the next episode of the State of Southasia podcast, host Nayantara Narayanan speaks with journalist and documentary-maker Shafiur Rahman on Bangladesh’s continued exploitation of Rohingya refugees and the myriad other dangers these refugees face.
Sri Lanka’s ex-president in the hot seat over torture site

2 months ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Frances Harrison revisits the Batalanda Commission Report detailing human rights abuses at the torture site in Sri Lanka during the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna uprisings in the 1980s, after a recent scathing interview with former president Ranil Wickremesinghe on Al Jazeera which revived questions of his role in alleged human rights abuses.
Why India fails to stop dangerous drugs

2 months ago | himalmag.com | Raisa Wickrematunge

This week, Vidya Krishnan and Arshu John write about serious lapses in India’s drug regulatory powers that lead to substandard drugs being made and released to the market. Compounded by lax laws and loopholes, these drugs leave patients across Southasia and the world at risk – the second story in our investigative series on Southasian pharmaceuticals called ‘Pills, Perils, Profits’.