Palitha Thewarapperuma, a controversial politician from the Kalutara district met a tragic death last week. His popularity was reflected in the huge crowd that gathered, including thousands of Muslim men and women from many parts of the district. He had been famous for what many described to be stunts or antiques, but he always represented the sensitivities of the ordinary people, except for one or two incidents. In December 2013, when the autho
Maldivian voters gave President Mohamed Muizzu’s alliance, principally comprising the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC), a super majority in the Parliamentary elections held on April 21. As per the interim results, the PPM/PNC alliance secured 70 seats in the Majlis (as the Maldivian Parliament is called) comprising 93 seats. With three fourths of the entire Parliament in his hands, the President gets
In April 2022 our country was declared bankrupt. We were unable to import basic needs such as food, fuel, cooking gas, medicines and other necessities. A sudden ban on the import of petroleum-based fertiliser nearly killed some of our main export crops such as tea, rubber and coconut. Soon shop shelves ran empty. Long queues formed around fuel depots. Amid the turmoil, the executive president fled the country. A situation of anarchy was eased wi
Despite the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (National People’s Power –NPP) having been throwing challenges at each other for a debate over the economic recovery of the country, they seem to have their apprehensions as well in meeting the challenge. The SJB seems to be hesitant to field their Leader Sajith Premadasa for the duel with NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissnayake, even though it is a Presidential election that is
“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
April 21 this year will mark five years since the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka. The targets included two Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Colombo....
Kachchativu is a small island a mile long, three quarter mile broad at its widest and area wise less than half a square mile, located about halfway between India and Sri Lanka close to the median in the Palk Strait. In the drawing of the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka, the question as to which country Kachchativu should be assigned to arose. Both countries put forward claims supported by evidence to show that it was within their so
While President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the splintered Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government and opposition parties are focusing on the elections, what election should be held or when and on what basis, more attention needs to be given to vital issues relating to Mother Earth, as the world marks Mother Earth day on Monday, April 22. In a statement, the United Nations said that Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suff
The 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar centered the world’s attention on the abuse faced by thousands of primarily South Asian migrant construction workers. The spectacle was a rare opportunity to press the case for reform not just in Qatar, but across many Gulf-region governments whose glittering skylines conceal a staggering amount of migrant abuse. Yet, just as the fervour of fair weather football fans has waned, so too have international outrag
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which ruled the country alone and under coalitions for the most part (40 years) of the 76 years since independence is currently entangled in the second toughest leadership feud in its history. The first leadership tussle occurred in early 1980s, soon after the World’s first Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was deprived of her civic rights.
The World Bank and the IMF Spring meetings begin this week in Washington. And with the worst sovereign debt crisis in decades, the pronouncements at these meetings will be monitored closely by many for the relief that debt-distressed countries in the Global South can expect. However, regardless of what is discussed and announced, the policies of the World Bank and the IMF will continue to safeguard the interests of global finance capital to the d
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
Despite Sri Lanka having been boasting about producing the world’s first woman Prime Minister and two women heads of government whose tenures spanned 23 years of the 76 years since Independence, the reports published by international organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) do not allow the leaders of the country including those two women leaders to boast that they have
Buddhism flourished in ancient India, including Tamil Nadu from the early years of the Christian era till about the 14th century. At its height, it enjoyed royal patronage and was the religion of the elite which at that time comprised the urban and mercantile classes. Buddhism ceased to exist in India in the medieval period for a variety of reasons, and saw a revival of sorts only in the closing years of the 19th century. The discoveries of Bri
The trio of festivals-the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, Ramadan and Easter Sunday fall within a short time of each other. The deadly Easter Sunday massacre of innocent civilians in churches and hotels in 2019 hit one of our biggest exchange earners badly. The Easter Sunday bombings also marked the beginning of a dark era that saw the crumbling of our country’s economy which had just begun to take off after the near three-decade-long terrorist war w
Despite former President Maithripala Sirisena seeming to have landed in hot water over his recent statement on the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, so long as his motive is not clear one should not jump the gun to call him a fool. Sirisena while talking to media in Kandy claimed on March 22 that he knew who really carried out the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks and that he was prepared to disclose the information if the judiciary ordered him to do s
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
Tourist arrivals surpass 63,000 in first half of October
EDB gets new chief
Colombo welcomes Cinnamon Life
New Board of Directors appointed for SriLankan Airlines
Easter attack: controversy swirls further high
Catholic Church rebuffs Gammanpila’s allegations
Easter Sunday attack: Ravi Seneviratne’s name implicated
SL unveils new ’P’ series passport with enhanced security features