Status of Parliament and Parliamentary Elections

Former parliamentary Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on April 17 issued a statement outlining the status of Parliament and the parliamentary elections.

After Covid-19, a just and fair society

The world will never be the same again in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic which is believed to be one of the worst international health crises in history. By 2pm yesterday the number of confirmed cases was about 2,186,000, the death toll around 147,000 while more than 553,000 people had recovered. Significantly the worst affected are some of the world’s richest countries including the United States.

Challenging times continue after Easter

This year’s Easter celebrations were put on hold largely because of the on-going Coronavirus and the state declared curfew.

Opposition locked down

The Government has announced that the schools and universities that had been indefinitely closed earlier in view of the COVID-19 pandemic would be reopened on May 11.

When can we return to the streets? - EDITORIAL

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has given enough indication that it might relax curfew procedures and reopen universities in early May.

Covid-19 pandemic: Democracy’s health at stake

Dictatorship makes democracy advocates sick. Yet, it has come to be accepted as a bitter pill in some societies to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic which is frightening the life out of people worldwide.

14 days at Vanni Quarantine Centre

After spending a wintry fortnight in the UK, we landed in Sri Lanka on the evening of March 16. I was on my way to Heathrow Airport when the news reached me that travellers from the UK would be sent to quarantine centres.

Answering the call of duty The Medical Professionals of Sri Lanka

Take a moment to reflect on how your life has changed since the Covid-19 virus brought our world to a standstill. Our income and economic future have become uncertain. Those of us with children must look after them at home due to school closures. Food, medicine and basic supplies are scarce as we remain cloistered in our homes. The only solace we can find is in the fact that if we stay at home and take the precautions prescribed by public health

The question of representation

Long before the 2019 Presidential Election, stalwarts of the United National Party (UNP) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and their closet lackeys painted Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a monster. Gotabaya was a Rajapaksa, after all, and Rajapaksas are the villains of the peace, as far as these worthies are concerned. From their point of view, then, it was a valid fear. Except for a few uncomfortable truths which they feign ignorance of, let’s n

Maintain social connectivity amid physical distancing

Whosoever would have ever thought or even dreamt, when we wished each other a happy New Year on January 1 this year, that the Easter celebrations by Christians on April 12 and the National New Year celebrations by Sinhala Buddhists and Tamil Hindus on April 13 and 14 would be eclipsed or overshadowed by the hitherto little known virus, now come to be known as the new coronavirus or COVID-19, which had stealthily made its inroads into nearly every

A Looming Constitutional Crisis, Courtesy Covid-19

Sri Lanka is fighting hard, to the best of all its citizens’ abilities, to deal with the current global pandemic caused by the coronavirus. To its credit, Sri Lanka seems to be comparatively doing well.

Preventing deaths due to non-COVID conditions – A brisk necessity

The number of deaths in Sri Lanka due to coronary artery/ heart disease back in 2017 was 28,554. More than 118,000 of our patients died in 2016 due to non-communicable diseases. It was 83 per cent out of all documented deaths in Sri Lanka. The fact that non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of mortality worldwide is no secret. COVID-19 has completely disrupted the excellent “Health seeking behaviour” we had a few weeks ago.

Easter: journey to unity and a just society

All over the world Christians tomorrow mark Easter Sunday-- the greatest event in the Church calendar -- amid an international battle against the Coronavirus pandemic which at 2 pm yesterday had afflicted more than 1,600,000 people and claimed the lives of almost 96,000.

Burial or cremation Inappropriate time to split hairs

The disposal of remains of COVID-19 patients in Sri Lanka has turned into a hot topic among certain sections of Sri Lankan society while rekindling communal hatred against one another.

“Corona” and the fall of “Global Village”

Coronavirus or the COVID-19 virus travelled across the globe much faster and more conveniently than both “capital” and “labour” in this global neo liberal economy.

Let’s return to our saving habits - EDITORIAL

Sri Lankans are experiencing a shortage of food due to the present crisis that has surfaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Racism infecting battle against corona pandemic

How many times should one say and how loud should it be said that the coronavirus does not discriminate on the grounds of ethnicity, social status and political power?

It’s baffling how nations respond to COVID -19

All the efforts taken by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have come in for praise except for the efforts taken to discipline some of the law breakers.

Govt. keeps fingers crossed till April 20

Nearly a month has lapsed after the identification of the first Sri Lankan national infected with COVID- 19. The first case was reported on March 11. Since then the number spiked to 185 cases by Tuesday leaving six patients dead.

The virus that’s going viral

The coronavirus or COVID-19 is showing no signs of relenting but is continuing to spew its venom locally and globally with countries such as the United States, France, Spain and Italy among others, doing their utmost to curb its spread and its catastrophic fallout.

The WHO, ‘Civil Society’ and the parameters of sanity

This government is crazy. Not just this government, but all governments are crazy. All governments past and present as well as those yet to be formed are insane. Alright. Strong words. Frequently used words. Here’s the question: are the finger-pointers sane?

COVID 19 and Bio-Politics: The Emergence of Tyranny

Much has been written about the coronavirus and its impact on global communities. Almost every continent in the world has been affected by the viral infection and millions of people....

Peace continues to evade Afghanistan as differences persist

It wasn’t long ago that a cessation of hostilities and the ushering in of permanent peace were on the cards in chronically troubled Afghanistan.

Health Promotion in a post-Corona virus world - EDITORIAL

The post Coronavirus or COVID-19 world is likely to see a paradigm shift in the global order. With the pandemic exposing the vulnerability of the world...

Google mobility data shows how the world is staying at home

Social distancing, distributed work places, these have become part of our vocabulary seamlessly. They now define the new normal, which is not normal at all.

Effects of COVID-19 on Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans

The future trajectory of COVID-19 that has swallowed the entire world is not clear yet. Only China has so far successfully contained the disease, but with imported cases still disturbing the serenity of its leaders of the coun

Penny-wise, pound foolish Overlooked danger of mandatory cremation of COVID-19 dead

Some quarters of Sri Lankans are indulging in a needlessly-caused and equally stubbornly promoted debate over the funeral managements of the Muslim COVID-19 victims. Last week, a 64-year-old Muslim man from Kochchikade, the second locally reported coronavirus related death, was cremated under the standard operating procedure (SOP) adopted by the Ministry of Health on the disposal of dead bodies

Into the Great Economic Abyss

Societies across the world are facing tremendous challenges. And on March 31, 2020, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as follows: “We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is killing people, spreading human suffering, and upending people’s lives… But this is much more than a health crisis. It is a human crisis. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

Disposal of bodies of persons infected with COVID-19

A collective of citizens and organizations comprising leading civil society members, academics and activists, has written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the disposal of bodies of deceased persons who were infected w

COVID-19: An alternate perspective in uncharted waters

It is said, “If you can stay positive in a negative situation, you win.” The population of the World is 7.6+billion. Therein, the population of South and South East Asia is 2.5+billion or nearly 33%.