Troubles brewing in the South China Sea

In August this year US House Speaker Pelosi, despite suggestions from president Biden’ to avoid visiting Taiwan landed in that country.

Sri Lankans have the power to dig themselves out of trouble - EDITORIAL

People who have remained here in Sri Lanka are working harder than before to make ends meet. Some among them are seen opting to buy lottery tickets; in most cases this is a new found habit. There....

Red card for FIFA as Palestinian cause reaches goal at World Cup

On Wednesday at the Education City Stadium at Al-Rayan in Qatar, Tunisia beat defending champions France. As the jubilant Tunisian fans and supporters celebrated despite their failure to go to the second....

Geopolitical tensions and repaying external debt

On different occasions, information released to the public, regarding our external sovereign debt have not been very exact.

System Change: An Aragalist touch-me-not?

Such diversity! Such passion! Such innovation and creativity! Such courage and heroism! Such were and still are the encomiums floating around in mainstream and new media about the Aragalaya.

Mr. President, get the army to bust Ice mafia - EDITORIAL

Last we heard of a drug menace of this magnitude in Sri Lanka was almost four decades ago. With the war came the narcotics. Now....

Now we have a well-read, cultured strongman

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is the most literate, widely read and informed president we have ever had, after Chandrika Kumaratunga....

Right-sizing the Sri Lanka Army

The prime responsibility of the Army is to provide protection to the citizens and safeguard territorial Integrity and Sovereignty

The PC election conundrum

Against the backdrop of President Ranil Wickremesinghe having called on all political parties in Parliament to put their heads together to resolve the long due ethnic problem, Tamil parties representing the Northern and Eastern Pro

Free education: Beyond the Saree

Recently, a rather unusual and indeed needless debate hobbled the country’s schools after a group of teachers ditched their sarees, the standard attire for female teachers in public schools, in favour of more comforting clothing of the

THE NEED FOR justiciability OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC RIGHTS

Socio-economic rights are fundamental to every human being. The concept of socio-economic rights encompasses a vast array of rights.  They include the basic needs of human beings such as rights to housing, health care, food and social security, education and human dignity. Living a life deprived of these basic necessities would be miserable and impossible.  The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) is the most co

Lalith Athulathmudali - 86th Birth Anniversary Commemoration: Bringing Sanity and Stability in an Ailing Country

It has been my practice to write an article about Late Laith Athulathmudali on his birth anniversary. However this year I feel compelled....

Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura hosts: International Conference on Business Management 2022

The Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, considered as the pioneer in Management....

It’s time to end Israel’s suppression of Palestine - EDITORIAL

Tomorrow November 29, is recognized by the United Nations (UN) as the day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The date of November 29 was chosen because of its meaning and significance....

Diana’s Thriloka-pathra Party, validity of SJB’s Registration: Ranil: A man with Right Mental Attitude

“This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their....

The budget vote, a divided opposition and difficulties ahead

The second reading of the budget was passed on the 22nd of this month. The budget offered no relief to the people and is widely believed to have been drawn up in line with International Monetary Fund (IMF) requirements One-hundred-and-twenty-one MPs voted in favour.

People’s dilemma: Stability or protests

Inter University Bikkhu Federation Convener Ven. Galwewa Siridhamma Thera who was detained along with Convener of the Inter University Student Federation (IUSF) Wasantha Mudalige under a ninety-day detention order issued by President Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Defence Minister was released on bail by Colombo Additional Magistrate T.N.L.Mahawatta on Wednesday.

Are you ‘qualified’ to teach? - EDITORIAL

A photograph appearing recently in our sister paper ‘The Sunday Times’ showed how a teacher and some students of a remote school in Puttalam were conducting traditional rites to mark the opening....

World Cup: Qatar’s goal for inter-civilisational dialogue

Qatar, the host of the 2022 Football World Cup, lost the opening game to Ecuador 2-0. But it has already emerged a mighty winner. We are not talking about the successful manner in which it is conducting....

Reforms with IMF would lead to many thousands of school dropouts

If over 30% of school children drop out of school in the beginning of next year that should not be a surprise.

To Deny People their rights is to Challenge Their Humanity

Human rights have become a major issue in Sri Lanka since President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected as President in 2019.

FIFA World Cup and hypocrisy in Qatar - EDITORIAL

The world’s biggest extravaganza, the quadrennial (four-yearly) FIFA World Cup, has begun in Qatar. It’s been 12 years since it was.....

That Twitter journalism groove

It was in 2009 that I first started using Twitter. It had been around for a while by then. During those days, the main network for instant....

Why is Public Service Commission dragging its feet on serving justice to Shani and Ranjan?

The Public Service Commission (PSC) reportedly has blocked two retired senior public officers, their due salaries/ pensions allegedly.....

Regular human smuggling and haphazard remedies

The last week’s revelation of a seeming sex trafficking racket by a group consisting of employment agents and state officials is not something that we hear for the first time. So many times before we have seen Sri Lankan women speaking from so-called safe houses in Middle Eastern countries over social media explaining the horrifying experience they have been undergoing. We have read thousands of newspaper reports on such i

Mahinda at 77: What is his legacy?

As former President Mahinda Rajapaksa celebrated his 77th birthday last week, one might have pondered over the legacy of Rajapaksa or more accurately, of the Rajapaksas, the familiocracy he presided over.

Hill-country Tamils and Crisis Times

When our country collapses before our own eyes with one of the deepest crises in historical memory, from what vantage point.....

PTA, ‘Aragalaya’ and need for long-term goals - EDITORIAL

The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) (of 1978 first enacted as a temporary measure in 1979 under J. R. Jayewardene was....

Murugeysen Tiruchelvam and Koneswaram Issue

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader and Trincomalee district MP Rajavarothayam Sampanthan wrote a politically important letter to President Ranil Wickremesinghe on September 14, 2022. In that detailed missive, the veteran Tamil MP pinpointed several measures being enacted under the current regime affecting th

The geo-politics that Prabakaran failed to understand

Although six convicts of the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case were released by the Indian Supreme Court on November 12, four of them have been again detained as they are Sri Lankans who had entered India without proper travel documents. They are being lodged in a special camp in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu.