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.

Remembering K.H.J.Wijayadasa- a Distinguished Civil Servant of our times

One month has elapsed since the passing of a distinguished public servant who dedicated his lifetime to service to the country through his multi-faceted public service contributions.

China’s salami-slicing tactics a matter of concern: Japanese scholar

Leading Japanese scholar Prof. JIMBO Ken who has specialised in international relations was in Sri Lanka recently and shared his views in an interview with Daily Mirror on topics related to geopolitics and...

JR’s ‘Men and Memories’ Of great political memories and a personification of aloofness

Legacies are not created out of thin air. They are the sum of one’s lifetime’s successes and failures, of achievements and unfulfillments, victories and defeats and above all, one’s commitment to a cause....

September brings us vital lessons in coexistence - EDITORIAL

One key aspect about the many events lined up for September is that there is room for plenty of thoughts on religion. September is a month full of religious activities. And Sri Lanka being a multi-religious...

Exhaustive public debate needed before regulating social media

Like everything we use, there is good and bad in social media. The knife saves lives if used by a surgeon, but it can take a life if used by a killer. Similarly, social media, like fire, carries with it the properties...

SL’s economic future depends on integration with global supply chains - EDITORIAL

In today’s dynamic global economic landscape, Sri Lanka stands at an important juncture, where the path to its economic prosperity...

Transforming Education for Sustainable Future

T he current period is marked by significant challenges in various fields, with education being one of the main areas facing these challenges. Education is crucial for a country’s outlook and building a prosperous future generation is the foundation for sustainable development. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, emphasized the importance of education. De

The troubling lack of compliance by public authorities with RTI Act

Today (28 September) marks the international day for universal access to information. This year’s theme is ‘the importance of the online....

On Children’s Day, our children are in a bad place

World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day. It is the day in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In our country-Sri Lanka - Children’s Day is marked on 1 October every year. Since independence, we have many laws protecting children including laws preve

Commemorating Thileepan!

Last week, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF), which is in stiff competition with the TULF for the Northern Tamil votes, launched a commemoration campaign of Thileepan, a self-styled Lt. Colonel of the LTTE, who died in 1987 while engaging in a hunger strike. A vehicle procession carrying a life-size idol of Thileepan kicked off from Pottuvil on September 16th when Thileepan started his hunger strike ostensibly against the atrocities of the

Shared heritage of archaeological sites in the North and East

The recently established task force for the survey and preservation of archaeological sites in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is a worthwhile endeavour as the preservation of a people’s cultural heritage is an important one.

Expand higher education and tackle toxic political culture

Sri Lanka has long been celebrated for its commitment to free education, a legacy that has empowered generations to pursue their dreams, regardless of their socio-economic background. However, as we find ourselves at the crossroads of a rapidly evolving global landscape, it becomes necessary to reevaluate our approach to higher education. The time has come to explore the idea of opening up the higher education sector to private universities, part