How Anura Scented the Sweet Smell of Success in 2024 Presidential Race

The Presidential election of November 2019 and the Parliamentary elections of August 2020 proved to be huge disappointments to the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and its leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD).

Anura Dissanayake and the Formation of the National People’s Power

This is the fourth part of an extended article focusing on Sri Lanka’s newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In the first part of this article, the early years of Anura’s eventful life were delved into in some detail. In the second part, AKD’s steady growth as a political leader within the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) was related to some extent. In the third part, Anura’s rise to the leadership position of the JVP was recounted.

When “Comrade”Anura Became the Fifth JVP Leader in 2014

The year was 1969. A 31-year-old mother sought the services of a prominent astrologer to draw up the horoscope of her six-month-old son.

Anura Kumara’s Ascendancy Within the JVP and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s newly elected ninth Executive President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) continues to be the focus of this column. In the first part of this article published last week, the early years of Anura’s eventful life were delved into in some detail. In this week’s second part, AKD’s steady rise as a political leader within the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will be related to some extent.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake; “Leftist” Star Rises Over Sri Lanka

The heading of this article is inspired by the title of Edgar Snow’s book, “Red Star Over China”.

Weaponising Non-Violence: Tiger Leader Thileepan’s Fast Unto Death

September 26th is of particular significance to a substantial number of Sri Lankan Tamils. For it was on this day in 1987 that a senior member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thileepan died in Nallur after undertaking a fast unto death.

Why Ranil is so Confident of Winning the Presidential Election

Sri Lanka’s ninth presidential election will take place one week from now on 21 September 2024. Among the 38 contestants, three are regarded as the top contenders.

Who will get the bulk of Tamil votes in the 2024 Presidential Poll?

The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) regarded as the premier political party of the Sri Lankan Tamils has declare its support for Samagi Jana Sandhanaya (SJS) leader Sajith Premadasa in the Presidential election scheduled on 21 September 2024.

The Common Tamil Presidential Candidate Controversy

The eagerly anticipated 2024 presidential election is scheduled to be held on September 21, 2024. Initially, 39 candidates were in the fray.

Namal’s Entry Changes Political Dynamics of Presidential Poll

From the time Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to the seat of power as Prime Minister and later as President, false narratives have been concocted and circulated by his opponents, adversaries, critics and detractors about him.

Rajapaksas bamboozling Ranil boomerangs on SLPP

President Ranil Wickremesinghe was cruelly bamboozled by the Rajapaksas early this week. The incumbent president was given false promises that the Medamulana clan-led “pohottuwa”party was firmly behind him in his bid to contest the forthcoming presidential poll.

When Sarath challenged Mahinda for presidency in 2010

Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka known generally as Sarath Fonseka has thrown his hat into the presidential poll ring again.

My family’s “Black July” experience: A personal memoir

The anti-Tamil pogrom ofJuly 1983 is an unforgettable chapter in the post-independence history of Sri Lanka. The catastrophic events of that dark month drastically affected the lives of several Tamils in Sri Lanka. As a Sri Lankan Tamil journalist, ‘Black July’ did have an effect on me in both personal and professional capacities. Furthermore, my family – like thousands of other Tamil families – was also affected and displaced during those turbu

Rajavarothayam Sampanthan: The Political Journey of a ‘Great Leader’ part II

The funeral of veteran Tamil political leader Rajavarothayam Sampanthan took place in Trincomalee....

“Perunthalaiver” Rajavarothayam Sampanthan’s Political Journey

Veteran Tamil political leader and senior Trincomalee district MP, Rajavarothayam Sampanthan passed away peacefully in Colombo on 30 June 2024. The nonagenarian Sampanthan who had been ailing for some time was listening after dinner to an audio tape of “Kanthasashti Kavasam” verses sung by the Soolaman Sisters Rajalakshmi and Jeyalakshmi when he collapsed with a groan. Sampanthan was immediately taken to Lanka Hospital where he breathed his l

Action speaks louder than words: Will the Economic “Good News” Help Ranil in 2024 Poll?

Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Prime Minister on 12 May, 2022 by the then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka was...

The Tamil Doctor who Gave Medical Aid to Injured Tigers

Captain Blood: His Odyssey was an adventure novel written by well-known writer, Rafael Sabatini, in 1922. Sabatini had a flair for creating fictional characters set against the backdrop of true, historical events. This blend of fiction and fact was received well by readers.

TheVersatile and multi-faceted Nissanka Wijeyeratne

Nissanka Parakrama hailing from a prominent Sabaragamuwa province family was born in Colombo on June 14,1924. He was the second son of Sir Edwin (EAP) and Lady Leela Wijeyeratne of Buddhenipola Walauwa, Kegalle. Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne served as Home Minister in the first post-independence Cabinet of Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake and was later Colombo’s envoy to London and New Delhi. Nissanka’s elder brother Tissa was a barrister and diplomat who

Range Bandara’s “Loud Thinking” and Ranil’s election campaign

Sri Lanka’s political stage was enlivened last week by the solo performance of United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara. Addressing a media briefing on May 28, the policeman-turned-politician came out with a suggestion that the presidential election due this year and the Parliamentary election scheduled for next year should be postponed while the terms of office for both should be extended by two more years. The former

“Operation Sajaba”; Blueprint for Re-unification of the Green Party

Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) suffered a humiliating electoral defeat in the 2020 Parliamentary elections. Electoral debacles were nothing new to the UNP which is referred to by some....

Will Ranil regain support of Tamil and Muslim voters?

The three numerical minorities namely the Sri Lankan Tamils, Muslims and Indian Tamils together are 25.5% of the population. These three ethnic groups form the majority in some Sri Lankan districts. In other districts they are a substantive segment of the population. Since the people of all districts vote together in the Presidential elections, the entire island is transformed into a “single” constituency with a 74.9% Sinhala majority and 25.5 %

Tamil and Muslim voting trends in Presidential Elections

This is the fourth article in a series focusing on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his evolving strategy to contest....

“Ranil Ralla” : Will Wickremesinghe ride on a winning wave?

May Day was at one time a significant event of the workers, for the workers and by the workers. It is not so nowadays where the working class has been relegated to the back seat. The political class has taken over. The rhetoric however echoes and re-echoes on May Day but the reality is different. The May Day events have been turned into a political exercise where competing political parties engage in a show of strength by mobilising huge crowds.

Ranil’s evolving strategy to win 2024 presidential poll

The first part of this article published in the “Daily Mirror” on April 20, 2024 under the heading “Ranil Wickremesinghe caravan moves on despite barking dogs” evoked a lot of reader responses. In a climate of Ranil-bashing, many seem to be happy that Wickremesinghe’s courageous decision to accept the challenge of leading the country on the road to economic recovery and the limited yet commendable progress achieved by his Government has been ack

Ranil Wickremesinghe caravan moves on despite barking dogs

“The Dogs bark but the Caravan moves on” is a proverbial saying of supposedly Turkish origin. A caravan refers to a group of people, animals or vehicles on the move. As is natural members of the canine species respond to the strange sight of a caravan in their midst by barking. This is especially so if there are animals in the caravan. Despite the dogs barking, the caravan proceeds on its journey. The moral is that an individual or group mu

A US “Kaputa”, a Lankan “Nariya” and a Presidential “Feast”

The encounter between the fox and crow is an ancient tale heard by most Sri Lankans in their childhood days. The crow has a vadai or kavun or piece of cheese in its beak. The crafty fox wants it and flatters the crow into thinking it is a harmonious singer with a sweet voice. The fox entreats the crow to sing. The foolishly vain crow opens its mouth to sing and drops the titbit it has in its beak. The smart fox runs off with it, leaving behind a

Karuna loses Eastern battle but Prabhakaran loses Eelam war

The once-powerful Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) waged war against the Sri Lankan state for over thirty years. The LTTE known popularly as the Tigers was the determining force in Sri Lankan politics for nearly two decades. The decline of the LTTE began in 2004 when its Batticaloa and Amparai district special commander Vinayagamoorthy Muralidharan alias “Col” Karuna led an eastern tiger revolt against the LTTE supremo Veluppillai Prabha

How LTTE’s ‘Good Friday’ attack crushed Karuna’s Eastern revolt

The course of war between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan armed forces was drastically altered by the 2004 Eastern revolt headed by former tiger commander of the Batticaloa and Amparai districts Vinayagamoorthy Muralidharan alias “Col” Karuna. The LTTE was split vertically and horizontally as a result and gradually weakened. By 2007 the LTTE ceased having territorial control in the Eastern province. This article

Fratricidal conflict between LTTE and Karuna Eastern Tigers

In the first article published last week (“Col” Karuna’s Eastern Tiger revolt against LTTE 20 years ago) the background and reasons for the Eastern Tiger revolt were discussed in detail. In this second article, the course of events leading to the eruption of the intra-tiger fratricidal conflict in the aftermath of “Col”Karuna’s rebellion will be recounted, relying on some of my earlier writings. All hell was expected to break loose after “Col”K

“Col” Karuna’s Eastern Tiger revolt against LTTE 20 years ago

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) organization fought the armed forces of Sri Lanka for 33 years in pursuance of its political goal of establishing a separate state called Tamil Eelam in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the Island. The LTTE known generally as the Tigers had the reputation of monolithic unity. This image was seriously dented in 1993 when the LTTE’s former Deputy Leader Gopalswamy Mahendrarajah alias “Mahathaya” was