On Children’s Day, our children are in a bad place

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day. It is the day in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In our country-Sri Lanka - Children’s Day is marked on 1 October every year. Since independence, we have many laws protecting children including laws preve

Commemorating Thileepan!

Last week, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), which is in stiff competition with the TULF for the Northern Tamil votes, launched a commemoration campaign of Thileepan, a self-styled Lt. Colonel of the LTTE, who died in 1987 while engaging in a hunger strike. A vehicle procession carrying a life-size idol of Thileepan kicked off from Pottuvil on September 16th when Thileepan started his hunger strike ostensibly against the atrocities of the

Shared heritage of archaeological sites in the North and East

The recently established task force for the survey and preservation of archaeological sites in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is a worthwhile endeavour as the preservation of a people’s cultural heritage is an important one.

Expand higher education and tackle toxic political culture

Sri Lanka has long been celebrated for its commitment to free education, a legacy that has empowered generations to pursue their dreams, regardless of their socio-economic background. However, as we find ourselves at the crossroads of a rapidly evolving global landscape, it becomes necessary to reevaluate our approach to higher education. The time has come to explore the idea of opening up the higher education sector to private universities, part

Plantation women: Marginalized within a marginalized people

Tamil women in Sri Lanka’s plantations are a marginalized lot within the marginalized plantation Tamils, who prefer to be called Hill Country or “Malaiyaha Tamils.” Women do the most critical job in the plantations, plucking tea leaves exactly the way it should be, from the crack of dawn to late in the afternoon in the biting cold of the hills. Women tea pluckers are also the visible symbols of the iconic “Ceylon” Tea in advertisements across t

Canada rushes in like a bull in a china shop with accusations of genocide and assassination

Relations between India and Canada have reached their lowest ebb, and relations between the two countries hit rock bottom after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, in the Canadian parliament claimed there was strong evidence implicating the Indian government in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar -a Canadian citizen. Singh was gunned down outside a Sikh temple, of which he was President.

Food security and mixed tales from ministers and bureaucrats - EDITORIAL

Our country is becoming or should we say has always been, notorious for the disconnected messages passed on to the public. Even....

Glorious Uncertainties; Psychology of Losing: B’day Gift to Modi?

The comments and statements highlight the ignorance of certain individuals who cannot distinguish between a cricket ball and a tennis...

Hanzeer Azad Maulana says ready to testify at independent international investigation

The first part of the article titled Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4? Was published in these columns last week. Even as I was writing the second part of the article, I received some interesting information about an event in Geneva relating to the Channel 4 TV documentary and Hanzeer Azad Maulana the chief whistl eblower featured in the film.

The row over the commemoration of Thileepan

Two Sri Lankan courts have given two different orders on the commemoration of Rasaiah Parthipan alias Thileepan, the one-time political leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Jaffna who died after a twelve-day fast over five demands, in September 1987.

For God’s sake, give us a Gandhi - EDITORIAL

One of Sri Lanka’s most important needs today is the emergence of a statesman of the calibre of Mahatma Gandhi to give our country leadership or guidance, which our leaders will follow.

Do we need heroes or working professionals? - EDITORIAL

This is a ‘pearl of a nation’ which looks up to heroes rather than working professionals. We saw the Mahinda Rajapaksa era when people looked up to the former president as a hero and said that they’d survive...

Canada-India row: Look, who’s casting the first stone

Politics is a killing field where no one is a saint and human rights are a sham. The accuser is no better than the accused. Every country has its share of blood on its hands. Such thoughts may spring to mind....

President Wickremesinghe navigating the Geopolitical Tightrope

In a world of international relations defined by power rivalries and shifting alliances, Sri Lanka stands resolute in its pursuit of non-interference in its foreign relations and taking a neutral approach. President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent statements in New York at the ‘Ocean Nations: The 3rd Annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue’ on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, shed light on his foreign policy stance and commitment to saf

ZIonist Anti-Semitism from Palestine to Philadelphia

On November 28, Prof. Marc Lamont Hill of Temple University delivered a speech at the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It is reported that he used the phrase ‘from the river to the sea,’ in his speech. This phrase, apparently, has been used by anti-Israel terror groups and is perceived by some as ‘language that threatens the existence of the State of Israel.’ Temple University issued a statement a few da

Personal agendas and blocking avenues of ForEx - EDITORIAL

Member of Parliament Ms Diana Gamage is often accused of making outrageous suggestions regarding ways and means through which Sri Lanka can raise foreign exchange...

Why Sri Lanka should privatize the Railways but not give it to the usual wheeler dealers?

Last week, a wildcat trade union action by the locomotive drivers cost the lives of two commuters and inconvenienced hundreds of thousands of others. A young man who rode on the roof was killed....

Brain drain takes us down dangerous precipice

While Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented issue of brain drain accelerated by the current economic crisis and the resultant political uncertainty, the leaders of the country are announcing plans for establishing more Universities. It can only be justifiable if they are certain that the migration trend or the craving for migration among the country’s youth could be restrained by the recovery of the economy. Otherwise, establishing new higher e

National AI policy: Is Sri Lanka falling behind?

Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI /ChatGPT3 speaking at a recent US Senate hearing on AI, warned of serious consequences if this technology goes wrong, increasing joblessness, misinformation, and deepfakes impacting democracies among others. These are all deeply concerning. Are we ready for such a future? In Sri Lanka as a country looking to transform domestically and also export technology products and services to other countries, it seems a l

Sri Lanka’s Dangerous Domestic Debt Restructuring

More than a year after the mass protest movement - the Aragalaya ousted Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his .....

Less than 30% think IMF programme will improve economy in future: Verité Research

Approximately 28% of the population believes Sri Lanka’s ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will make.....

Whither safety in our public transport system - EDITORIAL

Modern public transportation in our country dates back to 1902. The first ever car entered our shores, an 8 HP single cylinder....

IMF, Retirement Funds and Bailout

The IMF is in town for the first review of its programme launched in March 2023. Some Colombo circles worry whether the so-called IMF....

Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4?

Britain’s Channel 4 TV aired the documentary Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings in its Dispatches programme on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at 11. 05 p.m.

Unanswered questions and complex theories

Can the committee and the PSC carry out investigations with an open mind after having so many theories on the crime having been spread and deeply rooted

Old people never die, they just fade away - EDITORIAL

America’s famous Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole, wrote a beautiful song about growing old. It goes like this: “You will never grow old, while there’s love in your heart, time may silver your golden hair, as you dream in an old rocking-chair; So keep my love in your heart, remember the love-tales we told, for with my love in your heart, my darling, you will never grow old; Don’t be fretful, or regretful, that you will

Political winds that engulf the estate sector - EDITORIAL

Sri Lankans are quick to highlight problems associated with grieving or suffering communities by writing or talking about them in media outlets. But seldom do we see any follow-ups being made on these stories....

IMEC versus BRI: Corridor conflicts in emerging bi-multipolar world order

A new connectivity plan that might compete with or complement China’s One-Belt-One-Road effort or the Belt-and-Road effort (BRI), depending on how geopolitics play out, emerged on the sidelines....

Are Trade Unions digging their own graves?

In the wake of the railway strike, which tragically claimed two lives and inconvenienced thousands of passengers and the public, it is time to reflect on the role of trade unions in our country. The ongoing strike, orchestrated by railway trade unions, has brought to the forefront an issue that has plagued Sri Lanka for years – the contentious relationship between trade unions, the government and the public. This situation raises a crucial questi

Schrodinger’s Banks: The immediate need for Policies to ensure Financial stability

Sri Lanka is entering into a new, dangerous phase in its economic recovery. Although macroeconomic stabilisation has made progress, financial stabilisation needs immediate attention. The combination of covid-era loans and crisis-era loans with high-interest rates all coming due, and in an environment with volatility and uncertainty in loan quality, it is important that policies be put in place now, well before any crisis emanates from the banking