Election Year: Would it wreck the economic recovery?

Sri Lankan economy expanded by 1.6 per cent in the third quarter of this year, slowly emerging from one and half years of contraction. With the service sector picking up and manufacturing....

Need To Lift Ban On Oil Palm Cultivations

Former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake is reported to have assured hard-pressed oil palm cultivators in Matugama that he would persuade the government to lift the ban on oil palm cultivations...

‘War On Drugs’ - Eradicate The Cause Not The Victims - EDITORIAL

Our country faces a major drugs-related problem. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that there are currently about 45,000 regular users of heroin and about 600,000...

Where Is The Promised Safety Net For The Poor?

The country is totally relying on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led programme for recovery from the unprecedented economic crisis that was created by the leaders who for the past several decades promised to the people a paradise on earth. Despite the successful recovery being still in the balance, the economic reforms that are being implemented under the IMF programme have already started to bite especially the poor and the vulnerable. Th

Simplifying A ‘Himalayan Task’ : GTF & Bikkhu Group’s Commendable Approach

The Global Tamil Forum, a twice-banned diaspora organization, has reportedly received a warm reception during their recent visit to Sri Lanka. They’ve arrived with a delegation of Buddhist monks to present the Himalaya Declaration. While their meetings with the President, religious figures, and civil leaders have caused concerns in certain sectors, there haven’t been direct attacks or confrontations reported. These receptions might suggest a pote

Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts - EDITORIAL

Last week, U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice, Desirée Cormier Smith was in Lanka. During her time here, Ms. Smith met Malaiyaha Tamils - up country Tamils - civil society....

Authoritarian Austerity in Global Context

Economies are shaped by politics, and development is intrinsically linked to democracy. With over fifty countries in the Global South facing severe debt problems, what does the future of democracy....

Indo-Sri Lanka Grid Connectivity – Its Pros and Cons

The Electricity Bill is officially published in the Gazette and is yet to be presented to the Parliament. This article restricts to Indo-Sri Lanka Grid....

Suma, Shri And Yohes In Triangular Contest For ITAK/FP Leadership

The Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Katchi (ITAK) known in English as the Federal Party (FP) is the premier political party of the Northern and Eastern Sri Lankan Tamils. The ITAK/FP was formed on 18 December 1949.

Truth About Truth Seeking

Last week saw two important events in respect of reconciliation among various communities in Sri Lanka. In one of them, several members of the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), a group from the Tamil diaspora and a group of leading Buddhist monks, met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Mahanayake Theras of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters on December 8, and handed over a document called “Himalaya Declaration.”

The Festive Season Amid Soaring Poverty, Hunger And Inequality - EDITORIAL

The season of Christmas with all its attendant festivities is with us. Yet our country is broke. Some among us like to think that we have recovered from our national bankruptcy, pointing out that we now have reserves and that international financial agencies are willing to offer us credit. But the fact of the matter is, we have not even started to repay our outstanding debts.

Are There No Citizens In This Country? - EDITORIAL

Propaganda campaigns in this sun-kissed island targeting future elections have commenced, but we don’t see these efforts being strong enough to attract the attention of intellectuals...

Why is US pro-Israel?

While calls for a Gaza ceasefire intensify, with more than 18,500 civilians, mostly women and children, killed, a rift is brewing between the United States and its staunchest ally, Israel. This is no indication....

Collective Effort to Eradicate Poverty

With Sri Lanka’s 2024 budget being approved by Parliament yesterday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is likely to give approval to its second tranche of a USD 3 billion bailout package, after which the country’s economy is likely to stabilize. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has handled the economic crisis with skill, but the Government of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is badly split with different fractions expressing different vi

The Battle Between The Savage Mentality Of Regimes And Human Rights

The world is celebrating 75 years of human rights at this point of time, and its timely to look back and reflect on how Sri Lanka has fared in a subject which promises a better and righteous society. From the time Sri Lanka received independence from the British, many avenues were opened for the downtrodden masses to educate themselves and hold high positions in society and even in government establishments. Before that such positions and the be

The VAT Hike, Political Parties, The IMF And COL - EDITORIAL

On Sunday, Parliament approved the Value Added Tax (VAT) Amendment Bill at a time most of our citizens are struggling to provide their families with three square meals a day. We also know the bill....

Sri Lanka Can Set Up A PMC That Could Rival Wagner. Why Not Do That?

Last week, three ex-Sri Lankan military personnel were killed in a Russian attack while serving with the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. The trio were undertaking a rescue operation ahead of the forward....

It Is Up To The People Now, To Rectify The Situation

Parliament sessions on Sunday had to be adjourned for Monday for want of quorum, while the Value Added Tax (VAT) Amendment Bill was being debated. Interestingly, only 18 out of 225 members elected by the people to represent them were present at the time of adjournment, even after the quorum bell was rung. 207 members had absented themselves. Parliamentary quorum is just 20 members. The VAT Amendment Bill that was to be passed on Sunday is meant

Privatization of Militaries Opens Doors for Soldiers of Fortune

In these days of economic downturns and rising unemployment, it is not surprising that Sri Lankans and Nepalese with a military background are finding jobs in their line of expertise in the Russo-Ukrainian war theatre. While retired Sri Lankan military men are finding opportunities in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion (UFL), the Nepalese are heading for Russia to serve as auxiliaries in the armed forces of that country. The recruitment of foreigners

Saturday’s Islandwide Blackout - Sabotage Or Incompetence? - EDITORIAL

Shortly after 17:00hrs on Saturday, the lights went out in Lanka. At first most people felt it was a localised power failure. Shortly...

A Leadership Change In NPP or SJB Could Shift Final Outcome

The stakeholders and the media have reacted strongly to some uncertain or ambiguous poll data. In matters as critical as gauging...

SC Ruling Vs MR’s Ruling

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been taking every possible effort to minimize the effects of the Supreme Court ruling on November 14 against him, two of his brothers and officials loyal to them, pronouncing that they were responsible for the economic crisis which the country is still reeling from.

2024 Is Election Year, It is No Win -Win Situation - EDITORIAL

The next year for us Lankan’s is an election year. Whom are we going to elect as President? Our country is going through one of the most traumatic periods in its history. Irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity, large sections of the public have been pushed into poverty.

Taxing the Poor to Reward the Rentiers

Sri Lanka’s 2024 budget, touted as “revolutionary,” punishes the poor with sky-rocketing indirect taxes to reward owners of government debt, by allocating the largest share of expenditure on domestic interest payments and servicing International Sovereign Bonds.

Generating business ideas and travelling by SLTB bus! - EDITORIAL

Two English speaking youth (in their early twenties) made a journey to Malabe in the same Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) maintained bus that this writer was travelling in the other day. Their pronunciation....

Gaza crisis: Where are the Arabs?

With Israel continuing its genocidal war and the Arab and Islamic countries rueing their handicap to militarily challenge Israel, Gaza appears as ground zero of the apocalypse. In this genocide....

The Commercialisation of Christmas

In commercial terms, the Christmas season is on going with bargain sales and shopping sprees mainly by Christians who stand indicted of commercialising Christmas. To encourage Christians to mark Christmas in an austere manner and in the spirit of the Sinhala word “Alpechchathawa” (“w,afmaÉP;dj”) or a simple and humble lifestyle, we would like our readers to contemplate on what we call the Parable of the Fourth Wise Man. The Parable of the Fourth

Gender-Based Budgeting for 2024: More Tokenism or True Commitment?

With the committee stage debates on Budget 2024 still ongoing, our interest has been piqued by a term that has gained relatively little attention since it was mentioned in the Budget Speech presented on 13 November 2023: “Gender-Based Budgeting”. Gender-Based Budgeting or Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) makes sense, from a social justice perspective and a sustainable growth perspective. However, given the government’s track record with GRB, t

Disability rights: the sri lanka context

This article is based on an address delivered by Rajeev Amarasuriya in the Session on Disability Rights at the 36th LAWASIA Conference held in Bengaluru, India recently. The world as we know it has been on a pathway towards development, to make the lives of the people who live in it easier, efficient and convenient. It is not only the standard of life which is continually sought to be increased but also the quality and value of life, which is wh

Most Ven. Mataramba Hemarathana An epitome of friendliness and compassion

Born on September 17, 1947 at Mataramba, a lush village in the District of Galle as the fifth sibling in a family of six children and having received his primary education at Malcom Vidyalaya Yatagala, the Ven. Hemarathana entered the Buddha Sasana on April 5th, 1956 under the guidance of veteran prelate Ven. Kalahe Gunarathana. Yatagala Maha Pirivena, which was one of the most reputed seats of learning in Southern Sri Lanka, which produced world