Part terrorism, part resistance: Palestinian freedom struggle at crossroads

As Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip and terrorise some 2.3 million besieged Palestinian people since Saturday in response to what it calls a terror attack by Hamas resistance fighters, what comes...

Zoned Out: Export ambitions hindered by land limitations

The experiences of East Asian and Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, show that foreign direct investment (FDI) into export-oriented sectors is critical to accelerate growth in manufactured exports. But, compared to these countries, Sri Lanka has a poor track record of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The total yearly FDI inflows into Sri Lanka have remained below USD 1 billion for decades. In contrast, d

Development: Mobilisation of Public Opinion

In Sri Lanka, while President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Government are expectantly waiting for the second tranche of the International Monetary Fund(IMF) assistance, various development plans are being finalized and the authorities need to ensure that the people are given fair, accurate and balanced information. Some print media groups and television channels appear to be biased and over-critical. They highl

Laying conspiracy theories of the Easter Sunday bombings to rest

On 21 April 2019 (Easter Sunday) suicide bombers exploded their deadly cargo of bombs at churches and five star hotels in Colombo. Within hours it became known the bombers were radicalised local Muslim fanatics. It was also a time that anti Muslim feelings were running high in the country. Unsurprisingly the Muslim community feared they would become the target of retaliatory mob attacks. With emotions high, it was feared a bloodbath could take pl

Moral Relativism: Does the depredation of Israeli occupation justify the depravity of the Hamas Attack?

“If you can look at the situation in Palestine and not be on the side of Palestinians, then you are on the wrong side of apartheid, and history will show that in time,” she posted. It is this moral question that many who are outraged at the depravity of the Hamas attack on Israel during the weekend encounter as they survey beyond the carnage – though the depredation of the Israeli occupation in no way justifies the singular callousness of the sla

Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean in Antiquity

A land known by many a name to the World Systems located to the East and West of this island, its history is essentially a story of trans-oceanic connectivity. It is a story of how this island came to evolve its unique personality due to the convergence of multiple streams of people, cultures, languages, religions, ethnicities and technologies. It also represents a vibrant dynamic of authentic multiple histories of the Sri Lankan mosaic. The hist

Roots of ethnic contestation in the Eastern Province As in the past, the contestation is over title to the land

Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province is again becoming a contested region between ethnic groups. This time round it is more between the Tamils...

Sri Lanka’s sea is only for Sri Lankans - EDITORIAL

Only a small number of Sri Lankans might have taken note of the recent reports that around 100 Indian fishermen and over a dozen....

Lawyers’ Collective raises concerns over independence of judiciary

The Lawyers’ Collective, a group of a large number of senior legal practitioners alleged that there is a fear psychosis looming in the country....

5000 days later, Sandya still awaits truth and justice...

A cartoon of a politician removing the eyes off the common man caught the attention of the writer amidst many other black and white....

Road accidents -mirror our culture of corruption - EDITORIAL

The escalating number of road accidents in our country demands urgent and comprehensive action to bring the situation under ....

Jumping frogs meet their match: A watershed moment for crossovers

In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court has affirmed the legality of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress’ decision to expel Minister Naseer Ahamad....

Addressing local voters from Berlin

President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his interview with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) in Berlin on October 2 countered the suggestion to hold an international investigation over the claims made by Britain’s Channel 4 Television on Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on April 21, 2019, with strong arguments, no doubt.

Who is responsible for monsoonal disasters and loss of life - EDITORIAL

The Monsoon season, as it has been since time immemorial, is with us again. Our country experiences two Monsoon seasons -the Southwest Monsoon from June to September and the Northeast Monsoon between October and December.

Sri Lanka A Crumbling Democracy amidst clouds of Uncertainty

A country plunged into sheer bankruptcy as well as facing the painful task of debt- restructuring, buffeted by unsteady leadership,

NCCSL urges govt. to withdraw ATA and OSB

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) has expressed its deep concern over the proposed Online Safety Bill and the Anti-Terrorism Bill and had explained the adverse effects they would have on the democracy and freedom of speech.

Multiple takeaways in President’s Deutsche Welle onslaught

In President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s verbal blitzkrieg during his October 4 interview with Germany’s public broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, slamming the Western media’s prejudice against the global south....

Disasters and inequality are two sides of the same coin - EDITORIAL

Besides Sri Lanka’s economic disaster, which has plunged tens of thousands of families into poverty, climate change has disfigured weather patterns, with prolonged droughts hitting people at unexpected....

President Wickremesinghe’s outspoken stand against western narratives

In recent times, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been making headlines with his candid and outspoken remarks on critical geopolitical issues during his foreign visits. His latest interview with DW News in Germany, although more of a verbal sparring match than a usual run-of-the-mill television interview, shows a stance against what could be termed as biased narratives perpetuated by Western ‘woke’ media. In a world filled with carefully script

An aggressive NPP can be tempered by a breeze from France

Sri Lanka has seen the first advertisement of a political campaign appearing on television these days. There is no clear date for any election, but this advertisement remind us about the system change we voiced for and where protesters or revolutionists failed. There were too many camps inside the ‘aragalaya’ site in Galle Face and also too many ambitious groups wanting credit or power for all the troubles they took to keep the fires that fueled

Sandya Ekneligoda: 5000 days struggle for truth and justice

Today, 4th October will be 5000 days since the disappearance of cartoonist, journalist and human rights defender Prageeth Ekneligoda. It is also nearly 5000 days since I first met his wife Sandya Ekneligoda....

Psychological observation: Why Sri Lankan chattering classes excel at undermining their own country and relish it as a crowning achievement?

If you follow, with a sense of detachment, what is happening in this country and the loudest of local reactions to these domestic and foreign developments, you cannot help but be...

Let us commit to building a compassionate Sri Lanka on this World Animal Day

Today is World Animal Day, a day where we celebrate and value all the beautiful animals who share our country, and world, with us. A lot of positive change has....

Punishing the poor for the frauds of the rich

It is not the ordinary people, especially the poor who are responsible for the current economic crunch, they are only the victims who are bearing the brunt of it. However, the Government seems to believe that they have to bear the major part of the burden of the recovery plan as well. From the beginning, the bailout package offered by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) hinged on a process of restructuring the Government’s foreign debt. Desp

Roots of Sikh gangsterism in Canada

Sikh gangsterism in Canada has had grave implications for India, given its links to the Khalistan separatist movement in the Indian province of Punjab. A section of Canadian Sikhs have been demanding a separate Khalistan for India’s Sikhs. This demand, with violence associated with it, has created a deep fissure in Canada’s relations with India. Much of the news coverage in India and Canada these days is about the death of a Canadian Sikh, H

Global economic crises and need for financial structure overhaul - EDITORIAL

UNCTAD in its update Trade and Development Report released on 12 April warns that developing countries are facing years of difficulty as the global economy slows down amid heightened financial....

Working People, IMF and Regime of Repression

Sri Lanka’s economy is now on autopilot. The Government – emasculated of making any economic policies – is merely following the IMF and the World Bank. Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry may as well...

How and why Azad Maulana fled to Europe

The first part of this article was published in the Daily Mirror of 16 September 2023 under the heading Who is Hanzeer Azad Maulana the Whistleblower on Channel 4?.

The changing face of the JVP

The statement made by former JVP Parliamentarian Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa on the relationship between a future JVP/NPP government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a clear deviation from his party’s policy on the global lender.

The IMF loan, its fallout and the Opposition’s alternatives - EDITORIAL

By mid 2021 large numbers of young people were seen to be queuing up at our passport office. So much so that former president, turned prime Minister and now MP Mahinda Rajapaksa was force to remark that the young people who voted the government into office were now fleeing the country in apparent despair.