Forgotten victims of war: A border village study Let those in borders speak

Year 2019 is of great significance as it marks ten years since the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the Sri Lankan military forces. People looked forward to enjoying peace after years of conflict and there seemed to be more freedom, economic development and material prosperity in many parts of the country.

Ex-combatants under rehabilitation call for peace

The bloodied past of the thirty-year long conflict keeps reflecting in their memories. Having lived the greater part of their lives on battlefields, engaging in what were termed as ‘humanitarian operations’ against deafening noises emanating from blasting mortars, claymore bombs and the frequent gunshots, the physical and psychological trauma were part and parcel of their lives.While many of them succumbed to injuries, another section of this gen

A book touching on law areas less developed

When it comes to Law: Civil Law, Criminal Law, International Law, Human Rights Law, Property Law are fields of law that many are aware of. Most lawyers practise in these fields too. However, when we think of media, films, literary works, musical concerts, musical recordings, dramas- do we ever wonder what sort of law governs them? Do we even stop to think if there’s a law governing these industries? We know of lease agreements and employee contra

AS AUSTRALIA BURNS – is now the time to discuss climate change?

Greta Thunberg’s catchphrase “Our house is on fire” was never more than true than for the Australians that are currently suffering through some of the worst bushfires in history. While bushfires are an unfortunate part of life for Australians, the degree of devastation across New South Wales and Queensland has seen over 1 million hectares of land destroyed.

Setting the legal parametres for intellectual property rights

In 2013, when Chanakya Jayadeva published his first book ‘Entertainment Law and Broadcasting Law for Sri Lanka, little was known of the subject in our country. It was Sri Lanka’s first. Six years down the line, he claims ownership to yet another comprehensive book on the subject, expanding on his first and venturing into the terrain of new media. As a practitioner of Intellectual property Law which covers the full spectrum of human creativity, Ja

Outlines of education A very English education

The extent of State involvement in private schools cannot be understated: In the late 1860s, records and statistics tell us, the government was contributing as much as 35% of the income of these schools in the form of grants. The Education Ordinance of 1947 (which abolished fees in government and government-aided schools) and Act No. 5 of 1951 (which made it mandatory for unaided schools to register with the State) absorb

Oh, someone please send this pair to France

It may not be quite right to call Soosthi a biker movie. But, after Motorbicyle by Shameera Rangana screened in 2016, this is the second youth-oriented movie to focus on bike-riding youth, their frustrations and aspirations.

Sweet news for bitter disease

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the start of a programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment for diabetes in low-and middle-income countries.

It’s now Afghanistan’s turn to trouble Bollywood

Bollywood films are popular worldwide, especially in South Asia. But they tend to fall foul of governments and other entities in South Asia now and then. This is partly because of the uneasy relations between India....

Outlines of education: From Dutch Ceylon to British Ceylon

The Dutch clergyman was seen as a State official, with the result that Dutch schools, in spite of their emphasis on religious instruction and training, became secular enclaves: in 1760 at the Dutch Seminary....

Purchase a HelpAge card & donate towards free cataract surgery

The much awaited dawn of Christmas and New Year is again drawing closer.

For all the wrong reasons..

In a Facebook post, the sister of Royal Park murder victim Yvonne Johnson has demanded answers from President Maithripala Sirisena after the President pardoned the convict over the crime committed in 2005.

‘Give me another chance’

I write this letter to every family and individual who is affected by the recent news of my release from prison and consider it unfair.

The most critical factors that pose a challenge to sustainable transport in Sri Lanka

‘Vinivida’ Community Development Project

Community development is a vital process where people come together to take action on what is important for a particular community. At its heart, community development is embedded in the belief that all people should have access to health, well-being, wealth, justice and opportunity. In societies, there are some people, some groups and some communities, those who are

Making sense of Memes

From trolling the recently killed ISIS leader, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi, to coping with successive defeats of the Sri Lankan cricket team, memes are a popular form of interaction and exchange for many netizens of the island. Current events in Sri Lanka, often confusing and entertaining, seem to supply endless fodder for the most hilarious memes as well.

Revealing Sri Lanka’s Hidden Talents: Makerfair- 2019

The words of Dr. Albert Szert-Gyorgyi “Innovation is seeing the way everyone has seen, and thinking the way nobody has thought,” were evident at Makerfair-2019. Have you ever thought of how to drain out excess cooking oil? or a device for eye drops? How about an artificial nose, or 3D-printed clothes and fibre optic dresses? What about an alternative to wearing layers of

A journey of toil and hard work in education ‘Sith Esa’ magazine is an initiative of the ‘SL Council of Vision Impaired Graduates’

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Thus were the words of the world renowned American author, Helen Keller. Why she and her quote is immensely important to this discourse is because this article addresses members of a group of people like her, in state and in determination.

Voters’ rights and responsibilities

Exercising one’s right to vote is the fundamental right of any citizen. With Sri Lanka’s eighth Presidential Elections just weeks away on 16 November....

Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems; the pulse of nature

A conference on the Rehabilitation and Protection of Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems was held at the Galle Face Hotel recently, calling to action students, state officials as well as environmentalists and conservationists to protect the island nation’s wetlands. The International Conference on Mangroves was organised by EMACE Sri Lanka in partnership with the

Gender equality a bigger mountain than Everest

“I’m from Kathmandu, last year we had a group of women climbing Mount Everest, which we supported. But why challenge male stereotypes, why do women have to climb Mount Everest? Why are we again repeating the same stereotypes, why can’t we respect nature as it is and why take all those masculine traits?” Those were a few questions posed to a panelist at the Sub-

Lab-grown diamond company MiaDonna puts purpose before profits

In 2007, actor turned environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the movie ‘Blood Diamond’. Depicting civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s, the plot saw local villagers enslaved to harvest diamonds to fund rebel forces. Although this particular storyline was fictional, the film raised awareness of a very real problem that was happening in Africa at the time.

Youth’s vote is Youth’s voice

Out of 15, 992, 096 eligible and registered voters, 30.8% are youth voters and 1.55% are first time voters. This year’s Presidential Election is coming months after the gruesome Easter Sunday attacks and a year after the constitutional coup, the first ever in Sri Lankan history. Due to these issues, political activism in youth and youth apathy are both prevalent regarding the

TODAY is IL POYA Last Katina Cheevara for Monks

Today is the last day when a member of the Sangha could receive the third robe and that is on Il Poya.

WHAT IS IN YOUR STORE?

Have you ever considered what is in your store? By store, I mean, what you have collected and stacked-up so far – those may be material things that you can touch, feel and see, or those may be things that are not tangible or demonstrable in any palpable way. I am sure the readers will know what is meant by material things, as we all have this stacked-up everywhere, in cupboards, bookcases, almirahs and any accessible nooks or corners. But the la

Will Sri Lanka elect A president by default?

Whatever the reason given, in 2005 the vast majority of the Tamils from the North and East and even in Colombo did not go to the polling booths to exercise their franchise. The result, as they say, is history. Yet it is imperative for that history to now be reflected upon seriously. The President who got elected partly due to the decision taken by Tamils not to exercise their franchise ruled over the entire country for the next 10 years, with gra

Artistes on the political ramp

The political stage is getting heated by the day as many faces continue to pledge their support for existing parties and new alliances. Recently several artistes, both veteran and amateur too pledged their support to various candidates and even went to express their views on the political stage. Hence, a few of them shared their views with the on why they decided to support a particular candidate.

Challenges Faced by the Energy Sector in Sri Lanka

Statement by National Christian Council of Sri Lanka “Heads of Churches” on Presidential Poll 2019

As a Church community we approach the Presidential Elections in our country, following All Saints’ Day and All Souls Day (Remembrance Day) which reminds us of people like us who walked the earth, yet made a difference by their commitment and single-minded obedience for discipleship in Christ and those our loved ones gone before us whom we remember with prayers and supplications. Both c

Hiranya a friendly and naturally cheerful person

Hiranya Jayalath, Founding Member and Past President of the Sri Lanka Chapter of Ikebana International (2014-2016) sadly passed away recently after a prolonged illness. Hiranya was one of the most positive, friendly and naturally cheerful persons one could have the privilege of knowing. She brought sunshine wherever she went and was a great strength to our Chapter. An able lawyer, Hiranya drafted our original Constitution. It was she who came up