The Samaraweera-Gallage “verbal exchange” and its implications

Our sister paper “Sunday Times”revealed details  last week about an incident of friction between a senior cabinet minister and a senior military official that  had occurred in Jaffna  a few weeks earlier. 

DB Wijetunga: From“Deaf and Blind” Premier to “Dearly Beloved” President

The Birth Centenary of Sri Lanka’s third executive President Dingiri Banda (DB) Wijetunga was celebrated  last week. DB  Wijetunga was born  during British rule on February 15, 1916. He passed away on September 21, 2008 at the age of 92. DBW as he was popularly known served as President from May 1, 1993 to November 12, 1994. Earlier he held the post of Prime Minister from March 6, 1989 to May 1, 1993. DB Wijetunga was also le

The night the Ambalangoda Lion roared defiance

Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka, Sri Lanka’s one and only Field Marshall is very much in the news these days. The former army chief who was once described as the “world’s best military commander” by former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa....

Tamils Hail Mother Lanka as “Sri Lanka Thaayae” in Their Mother Tongue

“Sri Lanka Thaayae, Nam Sri Lanka,Namo, Namo, Namo,Namo Thaayae..” (Sri Lanka Mother, our Sri Lanka,we salute,salute,salute,salute thee)

Power Sharing Quest of Sri Lankan Tamils After Independence

The premier political configuration representing the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the Northern and Eastern provinces is the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

Monsignor Rayappu Joseph: “Controversial” Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Mannar Diocese

A news report from the Vatican Information Service(VIS)  datelined January 14th 2016 stated that  His Holiness Pope Francis has  accepted the resignation presented by Bishop Rayappu Joseph upon reaching the age limit...

North –East Muslim Majority Council Based On India’s Pondicherry Model

For  more than two decades the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC)  has remained the foremost  political party of the Sri Lankan Muslims. The SLMC co-founded  and...

Tamil leaders opposed when Sinhalese leaders proposed federalism

Political developments in Sri Lanka during  the post–independence years have devalued the concept of power sharing through the federal idea. Each major ethnicity has viewed the question suspiciously through its particular prism. 

Political Settlement Based on the “Federal Idea” in a New Sri Lanka

The new year has dawned on a note  of hope and  optimism for Sri Lanka. On January 9, 2016 President Maithripala Sirisena is scheduled to present a resolution in Parliament proposing that Parliament be converted into a Constitutional Assembly. 

Murder in the Cathedral

Blessings of Christmas are once again  upon us all! Even as we immerse ourselves in this universal season of peace and great joy,   my thoughts hark back to a terrible incident which marred the spirit of Christmas and sanctity of a Church a decade ago.

How will TNA solve the problem of Northern Chief Minister Wigneswaran?

Veteran Indian Journalist P.K.Balachandran who has been resident in Sri Lanka for many years has over the years  acquired  a remarkable insight into the politics and politicians of  the Island known once as the pearl of the Indian ocean .

TNA Leader Sampanthan ready to step down if party and people want Wigneswaran

Political tensions  prevailing  within the Tamil National Alliance(TNA) underwent a dramatic transformation last week. In an unexpected twist’, Leader of the Opposition and TNA leader , Rajavarothayam Sampanthan...

How Mahendra Percy Rajapaksa Began his Political Journey

The age of seventy or three score and ten  regarded as the span of life  has a special aura about it. The Bible (psalm 90 verse 10) says “The days of our years are threescore years and ten...

Twenty-fifth anniversary of Muslim mass expulsion from North by LTTE

The Investigation launched by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has in accordance with its terms of reference   probed the period of time from the 2002 February  ceasefire until the end of the war in  May 2009 to ascertain whether   war crimes...

Twin Assassinations of TNA Parliamentarians Pararajasingham and Raviraj

Thamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal(TMVP)leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias “Pillaiyaan” is currently being detained and interrogated by the Police over his suspected involvement in the twin assassinations of Tamil National Alliance...

Tragic phenomenon of forcible recruitment of Tamil civilians by the LTTE

The Human Rights Investigation  report on Sri Lanka compiled by the Office of the United Nations  High Commissioner for Human Rights released last month  has revealed  much information about the alleged activities of the Sri Lankan armed forces...

LTTE’s cruel Conduct on Tamil Civilians in Wanni

The long-awaited  UN  report on Sri Lanka compiled by the Office of the United Nations  High Commissioner for Human Rights released last week has predictably evoked much excitement and controversy. 

Karu Jayasuriya is the latest in a long line of illustrious Sri Lankan Speakers

Karunarathne Jayasuriya popularly known as Karu Jayasuriya was elected unopposed on September 1st 2015 as the Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament.

How a Seven Party National Government was Formed Fifty Years Ago

 National Government is a term that has re-entered the political discourse of the country in a big way and  is very much in  vogue currently. The term National Government  first came into usage  in Ceylon - as Sri Lanka was called earlier – in 1965 when Dudley Senanayake ...

Tigers as Spiders! Ex – LTTE Cadres Contesting as Independent Group in Jaffna

A total of 6,151 candidates from 21 registered political parties and 201 independent groups are contesting the Sri Lankan Parliamentary elections scheduled for August 17, 2015...

Tiger Diaspora backs Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam

Valvettithurai is a place that has figured prominently in the politics of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Political Role of Federal Party (ITAK) in Unmaking and Making Govts in 1960

Election mania  spreads rapidly in the country with Parliamentary polls being scheduled for August 17, 2015, and the Tamil inhabited ....

“Bring Back Mahinda Movement”

The Nugegoda Rally demanding the return of Mahinda Rajapaksa to politics was the opening gambit in a planned series...

Bring back, Oh Bring Back, Bring Back Mahinda to “Temple Trees”....

“My Bonnie lies over the Ocean” was a Scottish folk song quite popular in Sri Lanka in those days.

Govt Wants to Review Ban on Tamil Diaspora Organizations Listed as “Terrorists”

Sri Lanka’s ebullient Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera is currently in the forefront...

Birth of the TPA and political representation of Tamils living outside the North-East

An event of great significance occurred within the sphere of minority community ...

Ananthy Sasitharan in the Eye of a Controversial Publicity Storm Again

Politicians are a breed  thriving  on publicity – negative or positive. Their preference is to bask in the limelight always. They crave attention almost all the time and love to be the cynosure of all eyes.

Remembering Comrade Bala Tampoe, the Legendary Trade Union Leader

?“Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark” is perhaps an apt description of how  the International Workers Day was observed in Sri Lanka on May 1st. Instead of being given pride of place on May Day...

Defeat of LTTE and Demise of Tiger Leader Prabhakaran in May 2009

The month of May is significant in the history of the Tamil secessionist armed struggle in Sri Lanka. It was on May 5,  1976, that a section of  militant Sri Lankan Tamil youths re-organized themselves into  an  organization ...

How JR Jayewardene Ushered in the Executive Presidency in 1978

The successful passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in Parliament with an overwhelming...