“Please don’t bully people with achondroplasia”

When a video of Quaden Bayles, a child with achondroplasia (informally known as dwarfism) did its rounds on social media, it received many heart, sad and angry reactions. But in reality, those born with this condition are still being laughed....

Pasindu Hirushan in Critical Condition - University Ragging Intensifies

Dark days have returned to the local university system as Pasindu Hirushan lies beside a life-support system, struggling to win life over death. Although the student union vehemently denied it was a ragging episode, passing a tyre down a staircase and severely injuring another fellow student is no joke! Repeated incidents of ragging keep making headlines while authorities turn

Bullied female drivers, riders curse a man’s world

Although men would look for ‘lady driven’ cars when purchasing second-hand vehicles, it seems that they do not have the patience required to ensure said quality of vehicles when driving. Last Sunday we celebrated International Women’s Day....

Dealing With #MeToo At Work

Largely due to a lack of awareness on sexual harassment at workplace, many are ignorant of whether they have already been victims of this crime.

What do we do about the prevailing heat ?

Sri Lankans are used to the tropical heat, but definitely not when thermometres hit 40℃! Lately, islanders have been experiencing unusual weather patterns and the usual blame is on deforestation and similar human activities....

Hot weather strikes again

Being a tropical country Sri Lanka’s climatic conditions are decided by two Monsoon seasons. However this year has brought about some unusually high temperatures, just before the inter-monsoon season

WIN launches SOP for Sri Lanka Police Fresh Approach to Counter Cyber Sexual Harassment

As cyber violence is considered as the fastest growing form of violence that affects women and children on a daily basis, it has become a need of the hour to train law enforcement authorities to deal with crimes of this nature.

Financial scams and a loss-making culture

When you purchase a Treasury Bond you are in fact lending money to the Government. Conversely, Section 2 (1) (d) of the Registered Stock and Securities Ordinance No. 7 of 1937 authorises the Government to issue ‘Securities’ in the form of Treasury Bonds, for the purpose of raising Public Debt. T- Bonds are issued on the Primary Market, which is where the Central Bank of Sri Lan

IMF: Inhuman at micro and macro levels

Hiruni, a fisherman’s wife, who has to manage her household (of five people) with an income of about 2.5 euros (500 Sri Lankan rupees) per day, is heavily indebted. In order to increase her household income, she borrowed 50,000 rupees.....

Arrest, detention and release of ‘Tiger Twelve’ in Malaysia

In October last year, twelve Malaysian nationals of Tamil origin were arrested by the Malaysian Police over suspected links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and alleged involvement in terrorist activity.

SL Domestic worker finds second home in Singapore

Many Sri Lankan women travel to foreign countries to seek employment as domestic aides and do similar blue-collar jobs to send money home. But oftentimes, many of them have unpleasant stories to relate. There have been instances when some were tortured and others returned in coffins. In such a backdrop, an acknowledgement hardly comes their way. However, Panambarage Jacintha’s story is different to the rest where she not only worked for the same

Negombo fishermen hit by Port City Project

When the house of 48-year old Lalith Priyashantha, a fisherman in Negombo, area, was washed away partially in November 2018, the authorities promised to provide him lands in safer locations.

SL’s Chinese connection and Pompeo’s designation of Shavendra Silva

“May you live in interesting times” is a saying that is believed to be an ancient Chinese curse. Many writers and speakers often use this expression or phrase and attribute Chinese origins to it. In spite of the widely-held belief about Chinese links, recent studies by etymologist scholars and linguistic researchers have revealed that there is no evidence of this saying having a Chinese origin.

Rajina Island - Scrap hotel project if ‘no‘ to playground: Residents

At a time when the world has acclaimed Greta Thunberg as a global leader fighting climate change and other pressing environmental issues, the Sri Lankan audience started lauding Gampaha District Forest Officer Devanee Jayathilaka for her courage.

Garbage management gone to waste

With no practical strategies for garbage disposal in Sri Lanka, the issue has grown into a national crisis. While experts claim properly-managed garbage could be turned into a public resource, this article highlights how some officials have turned....

Remembering The Missing on Valentine’s Day

‘The Missing Lovers Day 2020’, an event organised by the Families of the Disappeared (FOD), was held on February 14, Valentine’s Day. It provided a platform for people who were still holding on to the love saved for their loved ones,

Taxi rides to a violent world!

Those utilising transport Apps have experienced what one would call ‘nightmares’ during the recent past. While some, especially ladies, had it in the form of verbal abuse, the males have experienced several incidents of physical abuse. The recent incident was reported a week ago where the two users had a close call. The extent of s

Rudra Residencies Helpless residents allegedly deceived by developer

Residents of Rudra Residencies, Wellawatte claim that they have been deprived of the common facilities that were promised in their sales agreements by the developer. They also claim that the illegal and unconstitutional decisions taken by the Management Committee (MC) has affected the standard apartment owners financially.

Breaking the Silence on Caste

Caste is all present in Jaffna, but a silence prevails about caste oppression. Such silence and invisibility were not always the case, where vibrant struggles against caste oppression shook Jaffna some five decades ago.

Strangled and pulverised: Dandu Monara on the Brink of Death

Dandu Monara, an ‘aircraft’ that resembled a peacock was used by Ravana, the mythical multi-headed demon-King of Lanka in Valmiki’s Ramayana. In this Sanskrit epic poem of India written in the 5th century BCE, Ravana kidnaps Seetha....

Charismatic actor-politician may have changed the nation’s destiny

The political landscape of Sri Lanka seems gloomy and desolate. Most of the actors who strut about the political stage posing as visionaries and leaders are in actuality empty vessels devoid of substance. Proverbial wisdom tells us empty vessels make most sound.

MCC and the Land Project: A Gordian Knot in the making

MCC or the Millennium Challenge Compact is to be signed between US acting through the Millennium Challenge Corporation and The Government of Sri Lanka. This compact deals with....

A Divided National Party

The United National Party (UNP) is hit by another political storm these days triggering fears whether the grand old party of Sri Lanka is teetering on the brink of another major split on the scale of the debacle that it experienced in 1990 when its stalwarts Gamini Dissanayake and Lalith Athulathmudali defected from the party and caused a dent in its traditional vote base.

Illegal gem and river sand mining in Nivitigala Dredging for fortunes amid threats to nature

Ratnapura, the land of gems, is one big mine today. As you go towards the interiors one could witness almost every tributary and main river separated by makeshift dams to aid mining activities. While a handful of these

Monetised vehicle parking in Colombo Parking metres, scammers give users the jitters!

If you have ever parked along Galle Road, Duplication Road or connecting by-lanes, you would have noticed new parking metres. While common in certain countries for many years, parking metres were installed in Colombo in July 2017. Following numerous complaints, Mayoress Rosy Senanayake suspended charging parking-metre fees in 2018. After editing the structure for fees, the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) re-introduced the system in May 2019. But

Illegal sand mining; Dismay as sand seeps through legal system

River sand mining has been an illegal money-spinning business filling the pockets of politicians and many other stakeholders in related industries. However, with the new Government’s decision to suspend the licence system for transporting sand....

We in the COPE Got Misled as CB didn’t Provide Full Information

United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian and Economist Dr. Harsha de Silva in a candid interview analysed what unravelled in the recently released Forensic Audit Report relating to the Central Bank Bond scam. Being a teacher on the subject of bond trading, Dr. Silva, one of the most eligible lawmakers to analyse what transpired from the report, explained how the notorious alleged financial frauds took place’ especially playing with the Sri Lan

Fighting a battle for Prageeth

A decade has passed since cartoonist- journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda disappeared. Ekneligoda was reported missing on 24 January 2010, two days before the presidential polls that year.

How prepared are we to battle Coronavirus?

The number of people infected by the novel Coronavirus 2019 (nCoV) outbreak has risen to nearly 6000 while claiming the lives of 132 people in China as at yesterday (January 29). As such countries around the world are taking precautionary steps to ensure that all citizens are safe. Airports, ports, hotels and other places frequented by visitors, mainly Chinese nationals are kept under close scrutiny. At the onset of the outbreak, a thermal scanne

Renewed Calls to probe attacks on scribes

Engaging in the media business in Sri Lanka is not an easy task given that there is often an aggressive government to deal with and readers who at times wish to remain drifted away from the truth..