Dambulla sacred area Jugglery in the name of development

Most local politicians are namesake Buddhists and the story about to unfold will provide evidence of that. Plans to build sacred cities began when Ceylon was under British rule. The Pilgrimages....

Govt. has second thoughts on taxing EPF, ETF and similar funds - EDITORIAL

It is no secret that the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government is struggling to come to terms with its worst ever economic crisis in decades. With Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves hitting rock-bottom, the government....

Geneva: circuses and audiences

Right. It’s time for the Geneva Circus. It is time to turn cough and cold into full-blown Covid-19. It is time to make mountains out of a molehill. It is time for politicians and activists whose preferred outcomes....

US-Russia standoff and falling popularity at home - EDITORIAL

A cursory glance at international news these days is enough to send shivers down the spine of even battle-hardened war.....

The farce called amending of PTA

The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, a bill to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979....

LITERACY AND SUPERSTITION

The death of the 10-year-old boy in Badalgama who had to breathe his last on February 7, allegedly due to the superstitious beliefs of his parents will soon be forgotten, if it has not already been forgotten. He would sometimes be remembered only after a similar tragedy which might again claim another life.

Birth pangs of the Bengal Tiger The early decades of independent Bangladesh were truly traumatic

Bangladesh is today hailed as a South Asian “Tiger” for its rapid economic development. But its early years as an independent country were traumatic, not just because it was a “basket case” but because it was torn by violence and instability for more than three decades. The liberation war took a

Growing Indo-Chinese footprint in Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

Hardly a day passes these days without news media publishing in emblazoned headlines that our government has managed to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in loans from India or that China....

SLPP- Show of Strength or Arrogance? Political Interference in Law Enforcement

A public rally called ‘Podujana Rally’ was held on February 9 in Anuradhapura, with the participation of the President and Prime Minister; while health authorities maintained....

How a liberal and flexible mindset could attract more dollars to Sri Lanka

As Sri Lanka and Japan celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations, a series of events have been organized to mark this bilateral friendship.

COVID-19 Impacts on current Construction and Engineering Projects

Back in December 2019 the world experienced its first case of COVID-19 from Wuhan city, China, rapidly spread across the globe, flattering a global pandemic in March 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020). After the public health emergency issued by the WHO, to slow down the increasing number of cases day by day, many countries have chosen to impose nationwide lockdowns as a hasty action.

Using Chinese influence to win over Tamil demands

The ethnic problem or the national question as some people call it is a topic only among the Tamil leaders, after the end of the war between the armed forces and the LTTE in 2009.

Let us stay free, let no walls divide us

The famous British artist Matt Monro sang: “Born free as free as the wind blows, as free as the grass grows, born free to follow your heart; Live free,

Flying through 41 years of friendship

As the 9th Intake of officer cadets, we celebrate 41 years, since joining the Sri Lanka Air Force on February 12, 1981. When we joined, the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Chief Marshal Harry Goonetileke.....

right of Reply: Accelerated Spin Doctoring Against Rising SJB

“All too often, what matters is not whether an idea is true or effective, but whether it fits with the preconceptions of a dominant cabal.” Rory Sutherland, Alchemy: The Surprising Power....

Fighting the estate workers’ problems in parliament - EDITORIAL

The tea estate workers continue to be in the news, but their lives haven’t changed much. This is a country which has promised them much. Lawmakers have spoken aloud in parliament about them.....

Death of ISIS leader: Was he killed or silenced?

Until the United States military killed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi on February 3, many people had not heard his name or knew that he was the leader of the dreaded terrorist group...

Save northern fisher-folk from the nets of Indian poachers

Sri Lanka gained its independence from Britain 74 years ago. But, 74 years later, are we as a country and a people truly free, sovereign and

Story of five generations messing up 24-years in “independent” Ceylon and 50-years in Sri Lanka

Grumblings against this government was widespread as it prepared for Independence Day celebrations on February 4. Critics said it was a waste of money when the economy was bankrupt. “People are hungry. What celebrations?” goes the argument. Complaint of bankruptcy, 74 years after independence with every government accused of failure is w

Do politicians need to have degrees?

Last week as Sri Lanka celebrated the 74th anniversary of its independence, there happened to be a lumbering amount of analysis as to what went wrong in our independent history. Much of that discourse....

Hypocrisy, apartheid and the people of Palestine - EDITORIAL

On December 29, 1947 the United Nations (UN) partitioned Palestine via Resolution 181 (II). The resolution recommended the creation of independent Arab and Jewish States and a Special International....

There will be a penalty on SL at UNHRC - Lakshman Kiriella-

Chief Opposition Whip and former Minister Lakshman Kiriella is one of the most senior politicians in the House with a vast knowledge....

Onus is on the Indian govt to resolve fishermen crisis

It is ironic that a section of the people in the country are accusing the government for giving in to external pressure to refrain from taking....

After 74 years: Where has the reconciliation gone?

Sri Lanka celebrates its 74th Independence Day today not as a successful nation or a stable state, but as almost a fragile state. Not only individual....

Competing Agendas: NPP Manifesto

Future generations will judge this period in Sri Lanka’s history as one defined by extreme turmoil and upheaval; as a country, we have been here before: the 1953 Hartal, the ’58 Anti-Tamil....

Politicians with their feet in the mouth - EDITORIAL

Politicians and mistakes are synonymous, from years gone by to more recent days, the the blunders politicians have sometimes changed the course of history. Some cast a dark shadow over....

Sovereign Bonds: Defaulting, Repaying and Banning

No one can deny the economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The Government that wasted valuable time as the crisis deepened with its insipid vision of “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour”, is finally acknowledging the...

Garlic scam at Welisara Sathosa Warehouse: “How can a whistle-blower become a suspect?”

Former Executive Director Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) Thushan Gunawardena speaking to the Daily Mirror questions as to why the person who exposed the fraud....

An Unadulterated 75th Celebrations: ‘Clear the Path’ Through a New Constitution

The interviews that appeared in the Daily Mirror on the eve of the 74th Independence celebrations, provided ample proof of public antipathy towards the inauspicious waste of millions....

The Killing of LTTE Eastern Political Commissar Kausalyan

This column has for the past three weeks been focusing on the abortive Coup d’état conspiracy of 1962. There has been much reader interest in the articles. I have been pleasantly surprised to receive a lot of responses ranging from persons related or connected to some of the coup suspects to people from different walks of life evincing much interest in an important event in Sri Lanka’s history.