Galle Face Green; Challenges in maintaining Colombo’s historic oceanfront promenade

The Galle Face Green isn’t always green, but it is sometimes the only open premises that provides some kind of recreation for people. On a given day, everybody from youth to elderly to couples to families would visit the Galle Face Green to enjoy the sea breeze and spend some time on their own. Occasionally, the premises gets packed during election rallies, carnivals and musical shows. However, many challenges persist in maintaining this five hec

THE PSYCHE OF AN EMERGING GIANT: CHINA

In the fast-changing world of the 21st century, few stories are as remarkable as the rise of China. Nations grow and decline, ideas change and societies transform. Yet understanding the inner character of a nation – its “psyche” – is never simple. It is shaped by history, culture, beliefs and the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Viet Nam’s success: Socialism embracing market reforms, not resistant

Viet Nam’s ruling Communist Party has gathered for its five-yearly National Congress, a pivotal event that will define the leadership and economic trajectory of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy. For observers in Colombo and beyond, Hanoi’s success offers a compelling proof of concept: that disciplined socialist governance can flourish alongside aggressive global integration.

Cyclone Ditwah: An Overlooked Environmental Tragedy

Devastation caused by heavy rains in the early hours of November 22 2025 resulting in a Kadugannawa hill top collapsing onto a roadside tea shop and several vehicles, killing 6 and injuring 4 persons, brought to my mind the lyrics of the famous song “Blowin’ in the Wind”–

We punish everyone for Lying, except those who govern Us

Every election season brings a familiar ritual: candidates make sweeping pledges about tax cuts, job creation, crime reduction, and economic prosperity.

A Spiritual Haven That Stands Strong Amidst Adversity

Following the recent severe cyclonic weather conditions that affected many parts of Sri Lanka, the Kandy district experienced significant damage. With the intention of observing the post disaster situation, we travelled to Kandy again a few days later.

Remembrance tribute to Air Vice Marshal Prasanna Payoe

On 18 January 2026 an almsgiving ceremony was held to mark the first death anniversary of the late Air Vice Marshal Prasanna Payoe. It was organised by the late Payoe’s family in solemn remembrance of his life and service.

Kotahena Radhakrishna Temple consecration on February 1

The Kumbabhishekam (consecration) of Kotahena Sri Radhakrishna Temple will be celebrated on February 1.

Sri Lanka’s Power and Education Reforms: A Tale of Contrasting Outcomes

Sri Lanka’s path to modernization reveals a startling dichotomy. While power sector reforms surged ahead through the unbundling of the CEB, education reforms remain trapped in a cycle of delays and bureaucratic friction.

APPRECIATION Elmore Perera: A Richmondite, a professional of ‘class’

Elmore was born in 1933 to a family with Christian values at Moratuwa. His father who was a teacher at Richmond College was a ‘legend’. His siblings were Theckla, Christie, Boyd, Darrel and Sextus.

Sri Rawana Buddhist Foundation honours service to nation

Sri Rawana Buddhist Foundation recently held an event to present honorary title certificates to women and other selected personalities who have contributed their services to the nation, at the Public Library Auditorium in Colombo 7.

Prof. Ajith Malalasekara inducted as 44th CSSL President : We must be accountable for the investment made on us - CSSL President

The newly inducted President of College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) Prof. Ajith Malalasekara is of the view that as surgeons they must be accountable for the investment made on them for their training.

Puffs of Peril: True cost of the tobacco industry

As the leading cause of preventable death globally, tobacco continues to impose a devastating toll on public health, national economies and the environment.

SL-born scientist’s breakthrough could transfer global cancer treatment

A Sri Lankan-born scientist has made waves in the global medical community with groundbreaking research that could revolutionise cancer treatment. Dr. Arutha Kulasinghe, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, has unveiled a pioneering method that promises faster, cheaper, and more personalised therapies for cancer patients worldwide.

SLTB vs. private - travelling to Negombo by bus

On Christmas day, I headed to Negombo for a much needed break. A friend who lives by the lagoon invited me for dinner and a quiet night of discussion and reminiscences. I wanted to travel by train. But his home is closer to the Negombo bus station than the railway station, and I decide to go by bus. It’s three in the afternoon, and I got into a parked Fort-bound Route No. 103 at Borella. It took half an hour to get to Pettah, four kilometers away

To restore devastated agrifood sector FAO seeks international support

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome issued an appeal calling for international assistance of US$ 16.5 million to support the early recovery of livelihoods and food security for farming, livestock-keeping and fishing communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka.

Thai Pongal: a festival of happiness, joy and prosperity

As we celebrate Thai Pongal today (January 15) let us take some time to reflect on the religious and cultural aspects of this important festival. This festival has a religious, social, cultural and mythological importance in Hindu mythology. Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil community worldwide, including Sri Lanka, India (especially Tamil Nadu), Malaysia, Australia, Mauritius, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Canada, Fij

Higgoda: A Social laboratory A Swiss uncle’s villagers learn to decide for themselves

The Lucky–Theddy–Koch Community Centre, a modest two-storey structure, stands as the most prominent landmark greeting those who visit or pass through the village of Kandupita Higgoda. What’s amazing is that this community centre has served the community for six decades. For many, Higgoda is an unfamiliar name; for others, it is associated with the determination of three young men who sought to empower a rural community to become self-reliant.

Defective Tsunami towers in the south dismantled

The tsunami warning towers in the south have been out of order for several years and those on the verge of collapse dismantled. A senior official of the Disaster Management Centre said that the 24 tsunami warning towers in the south that had been defective for years have been dismantled.

Southern puppetry has survived thanks to dedicated teachers

Puppetry, popularly known as “Rukada” in Sri Lanka, has been a branch of theatre that dates back to the reign of ancient kings. Rukada has survived as a folk art to the present times thanks to the incessant toil of a school of artistes from Ambalangoda and Balapitiya in the district of Galle.

Sri Lanka’s living heritage and tourism jewel at a crossroads

Galle continues to stand out as one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic and globally recognized tourist destinations, offering a rare combination of history, culture, nature and living heritage. Often described as the only place where one can sit on a single bench and watch both sunrise and sunset, Galle Fort remains the oldest and best-preserved European sea fortress in Southeast Asia.

Nuwara- Eliya worst affected by Ditwah: ROAD CLEARING REMAINS A FORMIDABLE TASK

Nuwara-Eliya District, the worst affected by the Ditwah cyclone followed by floods and landslides, looks like a wrecked landscape with mounds of earth and rocks obstructing the main highways and access roads leading to places of tourist attraction

Ravi K Warns: Sri Lanka’s Recovery Still on a Fiscal Knife-Edge

Former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake cautions that Sri Lanka’s 2026 recovery remains on a “fiscal knife-edge.” Despite IMF-led gains and restructured debt relief of $17 billion, rising pressures from natural disasters and rigid revenue targets leave no room for error.

Santi Nihal Seneviratne: A Life Dedicated to Parliament and Democratic Service

A lawyer by training who turned his back on a prestigious American scholarship to serve the Legislature, he rose to become the second Secretary-General under the 1978 Constitution.

Rishini made HALO Ambassador

The HALO Trust, the world’s largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization, has appointed Rishini Weeraratne as its Ambassador for Sri Lanka. Weeraratne currently serves as Editor, The Sun (Daily Mirror), Editor, HI!! Online, and Head of Social Media at Wijeya Newspapers Limited.

Mayaan Haputantri: The Director of Intentionality

Mayaan Haputantri, is the first Sri Lankan to be appointed as the new trainee director at the Royal Court Theatre in London, coveting a prestigious role for which many young directors can only dream of being chosen.

NMRA regulations strengthened to discourage illegal pharmacy practices

The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Act No. 5 of 2015 mandates the full-time presence of a qualified pharmacist for the operation of pharmacies. Initially, one pharmacist would operate several pharmacies in a given area, but they weren’t present at the pharmacy throughout the day.

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS: THE NEED TO LOOK AT THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Sri Lanka’s latest educational overhaul aims to modernize the classroom, yet it remains anchored to a century-old legal framework. While the government pledges to treat education as a fundamental right, Attorney-at-Law Shantha Jayawardena argues that such promises lack teeth without constitutional amendments.

Indo-Lanka ties: Govt drops ideological rigidity, embraces reality

The election of the JVP-led government was once feared as a potential frost in Indo-Lanka relations, yet the reality has proven remarkably different. Driven by the twin pressures of IMF-mandated reforms and the devastating wake of Cyclone Ditwah, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has embraced a foreign policy defined by strategic necessity.

Controversies in education Reform Ambition Must Match Responsibility

The Ministry of Education has suspended distribution of the newly printed Grade 6 English language module after discovering that it contained an incorrect website reference, sparking broader questions about the quality control mechanisms governing new education reforms.