Marlon Ariyasinghe šŸ‡µšŸ‡øšŸ‰ Profile picture
PhDing in Performance Studies @Stanford. Southasian theatre and martial arts. Former journalist/editor @himalistan. #Author of Froteztology (2011). he/him šŸ‰
Feb 5, 2023 ā€¢ 5 tweets ā€¢ 3 min read
I would like to apologise to Lankan twitter for inflicting Prasad the saviour on all of you.
But itā€™s important to recognise that there are many Prasads in Sri Lanka.
Pseudo activists who see themselves as saviours and above criticism.
I wonā€™t say anything after this šŸ§µ šŸ™šŸ½ 1/4 This isnā€™t the first time, I have dmed him before when he used one of my videos back in April last year. And Prasad isnā€™t alone on this, there are senior journalists and activists and even news outlets who do this and even resell content. 2/4
Feb 4, 2023 ā€¢ 6 tweets ā€¢ 2 min read
Just a public service announcement to all tweeps (journalists/activists) who share photos, videos or visual content without crediting the owner or citing the source. ā€œmy friend sent it on whatsappā€ doesnā€™t cut it.

šŸ›‘ Donā€™t exploit the hard work of journalists on the ground. Here is the original post shared by photographer/journalist.

There is an option to quote tweet if you want to write your ą·„ą·‘ą¶½ą·Šą¶½ (as I do on many occasions šŸ˜…).

If you run out of characters, start a thread and give credit in the next tweet.

Citeā€¦donā€™t steal or exploit.
Feb 4, 2023 ā€¢ 4 tweets ā€¢ 4 min read
Itā€™s a black day for #SriLanka not because of its past but because of its present.

We have a gov. led by an unempathetic, fascist ruler who is putting up a 200mn show to satisfy a wet dream, while medicines have run out, children are starving, and millions are suffering. When people peacefully show dissent to the absurdity of this ā€˜celebrationā€™, they are mercilessly teargassed and beaten by the police.

This is why the Janatha #Aragalaya must continue. āœŠšŸ½

#GoHomeRanil #srilankaprotests #PoliceBrutalityLK

Nov 18, 2022 ā€¢ 4 tweets ā€¢ 4 min read
Twitter with all its sponsored trolls and fake accs, was messy.

But during #diganariots #EasterAttacks, covid and #SriLankaProtests, the platformā€™s role in realtime news dissemination was incomparable. We saw how often our media was informed by citizens.
#RIPTwitter #SriLanka For example, Lankan journalists/citizens were able to report and provide visual content of instances of #PoliceBrutalityLK and crackdown by the Army, during the #Aragalaya

This is mostly true for the region as a whole. From #Myanmarcoup to #IranProtests2022
Nov 17, 2022 ā€¢ 5 tweets ā€¢ 3 min read
Why is godayamu.lk registered under the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce?

Isnā€™t this an ā€˜independentā€™ ā€˜citizenā€™ 'movement'?
@samarajiva @rasikajy Thank you @samarajiva. I guess in the spirit of transparency, it would be good to reveal these multiple sources of funding. There is so much we donā€™t know about #ApiGodaYamu

Also, what is this ā€˜citizenā€™ movementā€™s position on Ranil as president?
Apr 7, 2022 ā€¢ 6 tweets ā€¢ 5 min read
A weird thing happened near Liberty protest. It was peaceful until a bunch of guys walked out of nowhere and started pushing and shoving the police. They were aggressive. The same ones you see belowšŸ‘‡šŸ½
They were calling other protesters to join in.
#ProtestLK #SriLankaProtests Eventually, when they saw people werenā€™t joining in they stopped. And went to the corner and started speaking to this woman. One of the them was hurt. They were calling her ā€˜Madamā€™. I saw this Madam earlier as well.
#ProtestLK #SriLankaProtests
Apr 7, 2022 ā€¢ 5 tweets ā€¢ 4 min read
Diyatha Uyanaā€¦ happening now.

#SriLankaProtests #ProtestLK ą¶»ą·ą¶¢ą¶ŗą¶šą·Šą·‚ ą¶“ą¶±ą·Šą¶±ą¶±ą¶§!

#Seance #ProtestLK #GoHomeRajapaksas
#SriLankaProtests
Apr 6, 2022 ā€¢ 6 tweets ā€¢ 3 min read
Some of you might have come across this. This was an advert for a writer a couple of months back. 1 Mn. salary and a Benz with a driver. This was forwarded to me. I had a sneaking feeling and I appliedā€¦ After a couple of calls, I got called for an interview. Confidentiality was one of the main things they expected. Long story short I didnā€™t go. My friends jokingly said that I would be found in a Rajagiriya canal the next day. Anyway, the point being, they have money.
Apr 6, 2022 ā€¢ 5 tweets ā€¢ 3 min read
Before chaos unfolded yesterday, I came across an after-school #protest by students, teachers and parents of Ananda Balika, Vidyalaya, Pitakotte.
The teachers and students, some soaked by rain, were chanting slogans in unison. This is the sort of political education we need. Because our education is partially responsible for this countryā€™s lack of political maturity. We are taught to follow. Dissent is always discouraged. If we are taught from a young age the political history of this country, voicing opinions, equity and class and accountability,
Apr 5, 2022 ā€¢ 11 tweets ā€¢ 6 min read
So I guess I completely lost it.

but it was infuriating to witness @GotabayaR and his hired goons trying to break up a peaceful protest using guns. There were children, youth, and elderly in the crowd!Why bring guns into their midst?Who are you trying to shoot?
#GoHomeRajapaksas The whole country is on the streets protesting peacefully demanding this government to dissolve, the Rajapaksas to leave and for wrongdoers to be put in jail. And they still think this is a game.
With their toy solders, they play with the lives of 22 Mn people. This must stop!
Apr 5, 2022 ā€¢ 6 tweets ā€¢ 5 min read
Dramatic scenes at the parliament entrance Talawatugoda roadā€¦#SriLankaProtests #SriLankaProtests
Apr 5, 2022 ā€¢ 5 tweets ā€¢ 2 min read
Sajith at the parliament talks of the pulse of people from protests:

ā€˜Letā€™s abolish executive presidency within the week.ā€™

Now itā€™s time to walk the talkā€¦Sajith.

@sajithpremadasa
#SriLanka #Parliament I listened to the whole speech of @sajithpremadasa and he started out by saying we must change the Executive Presidency which prevents PM Prez power struggles!

Then he ended the speech with abolishment.

I hope that that final part was preplanned and was not on a whim.
Apr 4, 2022 ā€¢ 12 tweets ā€¢ 4 min read
Encouraging to see a lot of youthful energy at the protests. However, letā€™s not forget our purpose.

Ousting this power-hungry, corrupt family and its equally corrupt satellites will not be easy. These are only early days. Difficult times are ahead and we must persevere. Getting people to the street is the first step. Understanding why we are on the streets and the history leading up to it are quintessential for this collective struggle.

For one:
ā€˜Gota Go Homeā€™ and ā€˜Go Home Rajapaksasā€™ are such powerful, loaded phrases. There was a time
Apr 4, 2022 ā€¢ 4 tweets ā€¢ 2 min read
A new year. A new government.

We donā€™t want temporary, meaningless resignations. We want a new government!

#GoHomeRajapaksas Image People will not stand by this. Itā€™s very clear what we all want. Rajapaksas and all their henchmen must go!