Will examine SL request for another US $ 250 million – B’deshi Foreign Minister

Bangladeshi Foreign Affairs Minister A.K. Abdul Momen who was in Sri Lanka in view of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit shared his views with Daily Mirror on bilateral ties and opportunities for greater connectivity. Excerpts of the interview:

People’s power comes of age

People’s power has shaken the once powerful Gotabaya Rajapaksa government to the core when in the wake of so much agony and misery,

Spontaneity and its discontents #beyondgotagohome #thewayforward

Take any protest, any demonstration, they are never perfect. One could always find flaws in any such activity, regardless of whether or not one subscribes to the objectives.

Beware the ‘Ides of March’

The ‘Ides of March’ proved fatal to Julius Caesar, the dictator of Rome who was assasinated in the Roman Senate House.Since mid-March, Sri Lankans of all shades and hues - from slum dwellers, to the middle classes to the super rich- had been silently damning the rulers of this country. On April 1, the rising tide of discontent exploded into loud and vociferous protests in front of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s

The rev lution is live-Tweeted

AGITATION MAY TURN INTO RIOTS

The resignation by the Cabinet ministers from their respective portfolios on Sunday is nothing but the manifestation of the desperation on the part of the government due to its failure to find solutions to the economic crisis the country is currently faced

Interim Government headed by Rajapaksas is a farce

On Sunday night, the Cabinet of Ministers resigned en masse after the public took to the streets for yet another day of countrywide prot

Sending him Home: Lessons from Marcos

By the time you read this, the proposal for an ‘interim government’ is on the table, which I am sure, is the last attempt to save the family rule. At the same time, the President has declared an ‘Emergency’ situation and island-wide curfew in a d

Frying Pan of Shortages to the Post-IMF Fire

The scorching heat in April and May are going to fry our working people as food and medicines are in short supply, oil shortages lead to transport disruption and power cuts shut down shop....

Pauperization of Lanka - EDITORIAL

On Thursday (March 31), the anger of ordinary Sri Lankans boiled over. Lanka is caught up in the worst financial crises to hit the country since its independent in 1948. In recent....

“Lanka Spring” or an Impeachment? 20A Cohorts and entire Opposition — unite under RANIL!

Why do public take to the streets? Perceiving the multi-dimensional enthusiasm in participating in public protests is complicated. An economic crisis is disturbing life across the Island. Motivations....

Lester James Peries and the Gold Winning “Gamperaliya”

Devoting the first article in each month to a film, film personality or film related topic was a practice followed by this column for several months last year.

Will the Diaspora bring in dollars?

Sometimes disasters create conducive conditions for the resolutions of long-standing issues. A best case in point was the Asian tsunami of 2004 which paved the way for the resolution of ethnic war in the Indonesian province of Aceh, after killing hundreds of thousands of people in many South and South-East Asian countries.

Mother Earth clearly urging a call to action

Sri Lanka was admired as the pearl of the Indian Ocean, naturally and otherwise. But today, especially after the wholesale implementation of the globalised market economic policy after 1978,

Drop the jokes at a time of seriousness - EDITORIAL

Social media is giving this regime a run, but there are occasions when some posts in this form of media make a joke out of the crisis Sri Lanka is in. There was one post recently where a facebook....

Ukraine war: The need for a Fifth Estate to bust the propaganda

Scores of Western nations, including European Union members, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, along with politically pro-West Japan and Australia, have proscribed the Palestinian...

Notes for a sincerity project: Vasalas and Brahmanas

The New York Times (NYT) is in a pitched battle with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). When it comes to misinformation,

More loans, long queues, extended power cuts

After months of dilly dallying, vacillating and procrastinating, the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government has now decided to seek International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance to restructure or resuscitate Sri Lanka’s economy, which has plunged into its worst ever crisis.

Global and regional powers compete for space in South Asian countries

Given the new challenge posed by the Russo-Ukrainian war in Europe, and the continuing challenge posed by a rising China in the East, global and regional powers are busy exerting and expanding their influence over countries in South Asia – an area in which they have competing strategic interests.

Ukraine takes centre stage - EDITORIAL

After over a month of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on March 27, announced that Ukraine was ready to discuss....

How the government ‘ended’ racism in Sri Lanka

During these sweaty island nights punctured by power cuts, think about the missing bogeyman. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the incumbent....

“People will hardly vote for any Rajapaksa again” - Wimal Weerawansa

National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa recently claimed that he would ensure that the government would soon.....

Trade unions have duties as well

A Sinhala newspaper reported on Sunday that the employees of the cash-strapped Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has drawn Rs. 4 billion as overtime payments during the past twelve months! It further stated that all efforts by the CPC administration for

Who is behind high prices of milk?

Even vegetarians consume milk and eggs because these are the most cost-effective sources of nutrients. They are versatile foods that can be used in a variety of ways. As a result, they are in high demand, and as in any market economy, market forces determine their prices. We have the option and

Anuradhapura Gnana Akka RENOWNED SOOTHSAYER'S HOTEL COMES UNDER SPOTLIGHT.’’

Can the law be made silent when shrine (Devalaya) officials enjoy limitless political powers of powerful political figures? They amass abundant wealth thanks to this political framework. A similar incident was reported in Anuradhapura city where the Shrine of Gnana Meniyo is located. It is known as ‘Sasthara Gedara’ and is frequented by politicians. She is b

Medicinal Drug Scarcity and Prof Bibile Assassination - part ii

There had been quite a few responses from those who knew Prof. Senaka Bibile well, on this great man’s mysterious death as expressed in Part I of this article. Therefore, we give more specific....

What lies next in the Northern Province

We are still in the first three of the months of the year. But, every day, every waking moment, citizens living here and by extension people of our origin overseas remember, ask and wish to be....

In the battle between giants - ants get trampled - EDITORIAL

The war in Ukraine whose path of confrontational politics with Russia was backed by the US and its NATO allies has now entered its second month. According to the UN, 6.5 million....

Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste

We are a country which is familiar with suffering. Since 2000, we have lived through a civil war, a devastating tsunami, Easter Sunday attacks and COVID-19. We are now facing an economic crisis. Facing....

Fading sovereignty and its nexus to crisis

Russia is continuing its invasion of Ukraine despite condemnation by international community. Recent news bulletins revealed that Russia has tested their hypersonic missiles on targets in Ukraine. This means....