Early Buddhism’s links with urbanisation and commerce

In sixth century BC, Buddhism thrived in the Gangetic Plain in North India due to urbanisation and the development of trade. According to the renowned scholar of Buddhism in India, Balkrishna Govind Gokhale, Buddhism began to decline in India when urbanisation and trade yielded place to feudalism. In his paper in the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (Vol Number 2, 1982, University of Wisconsin Madison), Gokhale says th

Law reforms stagnate in Lanka while world marks global Day to End Corporal Punishment

Corporal punishment affects over 1.3 billion children worldwide and is the most common form of child abuse globally and in Sri Lanka, where complaints of cruelty against children have increased by three-fold in the past ten years. As the world celebrates and respective governments pledge to do more to abolish a heinous crime against children on International Day to End Corporal Punishment on April 30th, neither the Government of Sri Lanka nor

If you don’t like to say genocide, think of it as mass murder

When Israel launched a massive bombardment of the Gaza Strip in retaliation to the Hamas cross-border attack on Oct 7, 2023, I had divided sympathies, especially in view of the atrocities....

May Day and the plight of Lankan workers - EDITORIAL

This Wednesday is May Day, a day set apart to commemorate the struggles and gains made by workers and labour movements the world over. Very sadly, in our country, workers’ day has been usurped....

Dishonouring May day’s Haymarket Mayhem Heroes on May 1

The Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago 138 years ago, marked a significant moment where labour protests advocating for an eight-hour workday turned violent, resulting in the deaths of several....

Sri Lanka: A preferred haven for European senior citizens seeking serenity

While the concept of permanent tourism may seem novel, its implications for countries like Sri Lanka are profound. Unlike traditional short-term visitors, permanent....

Ranil’s evolving strategy to win 2024 presidential poll

The first part of this article published in the “Daily Mirror” on April 20, 2024 under the heading “Ranil Wickremesinghe caravan moves on despite barking dogs” evoked a lot of reader responses. In a climate of Ranil-bashing, many seem to be happy that Wickremesinghe’s courageous decision to accept the challenge of leading the country on the road to economic recovery and the limited yet commendable progress achieved by his Government has been ack

The SLFP mess; for whose benefit?

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leaders who had been imprisoned for their involvement in the 1971 Insurrection followed an untraditional strategy subsequent to their release from prison in 1977, in their pursuit of political power. They, instead of mainly encountering the United National Party (UNP), the then ruling party, chose first to attack the leftist parties which were the third force then, to capture that position and then take on the

A common sense alternative

I hope to convince the reader that despite some of the commentary, Sri Lanka is not on the road to recovery. Numerous predictably dysfunctional policies with questionable....

Israel’s US-backed genocide in Gaza, 200 days on

What horrible times are we living in? “Never again” was the resolve that led to the formation of a rules-based world order in the aftermath of World War II, in which some 80 million people....

Death on the racetrack - EDITORIAL

The tragic motor car accident that snuffed out the lives of seven people and injured over 20 people must be reviewed critically. At the time of writing this column only two drivers...

Politicking on the Easter Sunday massacre at its 5th anniversary

Five years ago, on Easter Sunday, a group of local Islamists carried out coordinated suicide attacks targeting three churches and tourist hotels, killing over 270 worshipers and tourists and wounding 500 others. The fifth anniversary of that heinous crime, which fell last Sunday (April 21), turned out to be a sordid display of politicking by the political parties, the catholic clergy and other usual culprits, who claim to campaign for justice for

Girls in ICT and political leadership roles

While most Sri Lankan politicians and the people are focused on elections—what elections and when or whether they will be held—it is more important to give attention and priority to issues such as gender equality. It is especially important to focus on the role of women in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the upcoming technological revolution that could manifest through areas like artificial intelligence. Today, the United Natio

Seeing beyond the Uma Oya project and into eyes of Iran

Sri Lanka’s latest news in the international scene is generated with its dealings with Iran, a nation considered as a super power in tactical ballistic missiles and UAVs. Iran’s President Dr. Ebrahim Raisi was in the island on Wednesday (April 24) to declare open the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project along with Ranil Wickremesinghe, the President of Sri Lanka. Now, the people of this country are wondering why the first citizen of Iran was

Myanmar’s junta takes revenge on its people

What a turn of events in Myanmar–in 2021, the Generals seized power again from the legitimately elected government of Aung....

Those whom Gods wish to destroy, they first make mad - EDITORIAL

The saying “Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad” is believed to have been made by the Greek Tragedian....

Importance of intellectuality with humanity in politicians

Palitha Thewarapperuma, a controversial politician from the Kalutara district met a tragic death last week. His popularity was reflected in the huge crowd that gathered, including thousands of Muslim men and women from many parts of the district. He had been famous for what many described to be stunts or antiques, but he always represented the sensitivities of the ordinary people, except for one or two incidents. In December 2013, when the autho

President Muizzu’s alliance gets super majority in Maldivian Parliament

Maldivian voters gave President Mohamed Muizzu’s alliance, principally comprising the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People’s National Congress (PNC), a super majority in the Parliamentary elections held on April 21. As per the interim results, the PPM/PNC alliance secured 70 seats in the Majlis (as the Maldivian Parliament is called) comprising 93 seats. With three fourths of the entire Parliament in his hands, the President gets

The Iran-Israel conflict leaves Lanka at crossroads - EDITORIAL

Israel’s misguided (as the US President chooses to call it) attack on the Iranian Consulate in Syria, the retaliatory strikes by Iran....

Iran and Israel: From Allies to brink of major conflict

Global oil and gold prices surged, while stock markets plummeted, in the wake of reports that Israel had launched missiles....

Female workers who keep economy running

In April 2022 our country was declared bankrupt. We were unable to import basic needs such as food, fuel, cooking gas, medicines and other necessities. A sudden ban on the import of petroleum-based fertiliser nearly killed some of our main export crops such as tea, rubber and coconut. Soon shop shelves ran empty. Long queues formed around fuel depots. Amid the turmoil, the executive president fled the country. A situation of anarchy was eased wi

A debate on a debate between Presidential candidates

Despite the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Jathika Jana Balawegaya (National People’s Power –NPP) having been throwing challenges at each other for a debate over the economic recovery of the country, they seem to have their apprehensions as well in meeting the challenge. The SJB seems to be hesitant to field their Leader Sajith Premadasa for the duel with NPP Leader Anura Kumara Dissnayake, even though it is a Presidential election that is

Ranil Wickremesinghe caravan moves on despite barking dogs

“The Dogs bark but the Caravan moves on” is a proverbial saying of supposedly Turkish origin. A caravan refers to a group of people, animals or vehicles on the move. As is natural members of the canine species respond to the strange sight of a caravan in their midst by barking. This is especially so if there are animals in the caravan. Despite the dogs barking, the caravan proceeds on its journey. The moral is that an individual or group mu

Suppressing a community by denying education - EDITORIAL

These are days when politicians in the country are getting ready for upcoming elections, hence there are thoughts about whether anyone of them would use schools and education to promote....

What Netanyahu is trying to achieve by provoking Iran

Israel’s hardline and war-thirsty Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more than ever before well close to dragging the United States into a war with Iran. Ever since Iran launched its nuclear....

Five years since the deadly Easter Sunday bombings: Seeking justice for Easter Sunday victims: A stronger and united struggle vital

April 21 this year will mark five years since the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka. The targets included two Catholic churches in the Archdiocese of Colombo....

Kachchativu – Transforming confrontation into cooperation

Kachchativu is a small island a mile long, three quarter mile broad at its widest and area wise less than half a square mile, located about halfway between India and Sri Lanka close to the median in the Palk Strait. In the drawing of the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka, the question as to which country Kachchativu should be assigned to arose. Both countries put forward claims supported by evidence to show that it was within their so

Life as we know depends on the health of the planet

While President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the splintered Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) government and opposition parties are focusing on the elections, what election should be held or when and on what basis, more attention needs to be given to vital issues relating to Mother Earth, as the world marks Mother Earth day on Monday, April 22. In a statement, the United Nations said that Mother Earth is clearly urging a call to action. Nature is suff

To protect the welfare of Sri Lankan migrant workers, hold recruitment agencies accountable

The 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar centered the world’s attention on the abuse faced by thousands of primarily South Asian migrant construction workers. The spectacle was a rare opportunity to press the case for reform not just in Qatar, but across many Gulf-region governments whose glittering skylines conceal a staggering amount of migrant abuse. Yet, just as the fervour of fair weather football fans has waned, so too have international outrag

CBK’s case against Sirisena and moral suitability of politicians

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) which ruled the country alone and under coalitions for the most part (40 years) of the 76 years since independence is currently entangled in the second toughest leadership feud in its history. The first leadership tussle occurred in early 1980s, soon after the World’s first Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike was deprived of her civic rights.