Trials-at-Bar in Sri Lanka: Use and abuse

It is reported that a Trial-at-Bar is being contemplated in respect of allegations against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe regarding misuse of state resources for a visit to a British university on his return from attending sessions of the United Nations in New York and an official visit to Cuba.

Departure of British rulers from Ceylon left Tamils high and dry

Within a short time span since the British rulers left Ceylon, the Tamils have been subjected to a quagmire situation wherein there is no dearth of discrimination, racism, religious fanaticism, chauvinism, xenophobia, misanthropy, violence, racial riots, militarisation, state terrorism, and other wrongful acts that were exercised by successive governments in the country against the politically powerless minority Tamil community.

In retrospect and looking forward

The New Year 2026 has already eroded several days but is still in its infancy, opening up vistas of hope, fulfillment, hopeful anticipation and optimism, for “hope springs eternal in the human breast” and always at the dawn of a New Year; with the country spurring on with determination to restore normalcy in the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah and the ensuing deluge.

Iqbal Athas- a journalist much loved and much hated

If not for an exclusive revelation by a journalist in 2003 when the ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was in force, Sri Lanka’s history between then and now would have been totally different.

Harassing Harini while we are in Ditwah ditch

Our country is like no other. A past president once described this land as the ‘Wonder of Asia’. How right he was. We as a people were able to successfully end a near three-decade-long insurgency aimed at dividing the country.

Waste management in Colombo

It’s high time that the new government takes adequate measures to resolve the waste crisis in Colombo. In some areas, the waste collection trucks arrived today for the first time after the New Year.

Hurry up! End policy uncertainty over investments

Daily Mirror, in its Wednesday edition, reported that China-based Amber Adventures (Private) Limited—the country’s first cable car venture—had officially pulled out of the Ambuluwawa Cable Car Project, citing what it called “regulatory obstruction and arbitrary state action”. It informed the Board of Investment (BOI) in writing on January 13 that it had decided to withdraw from the project due to what it termed arbitrary and unlawful actions by s

Iran’s troubles: The price of defying hegemons

Arguably one of the oldest, if not the oldest, continuous nation-states, Iran is facing yet another existential threat of tectonic-shift proportions, similar to the many challenges it has endured and overcome in its more than 3,500-year political existence.

Medical Waste -- a Greater Threat Than Polythene and Plastic?

Public attention has rightly focused on the dangers of polythene and plastic pollution, and some progress has been made through bans, awareness campaigns, and regulatory action. However, an equally serious — and rapidly growing — threat is being largely ignored: the improper disposal of medical waste.

Paddy farmers too, deserve to dream big

Even though rice is the staple diet for most Sri Lankans, purchasing a few measures of rice has become a luxury today. Enjoying a meal of premium rice varieties such as keeri samba or basmati has now become next to impossible. With rice becoming the staple food of the country, the paddy business became politicised over the years. Today, it is a known fact that several large scale rice mill owners are directly or indirectly involved in manipulatin

Why Domestic Tax Failure Distorts Trade Policy

Sri Lanka’s import tariff regime is dysfunctional by design. Tariffs are among the highest in the region and highly complex, with importers required to pay multiple para-tariffs in addition to Customs Duty, such as CESS and the Ports and Airports Levy (PAL). The result is higher prices and reduced consumer choice, inflated and unpredictable input costs for domestic firms, and investment diverted into inefficient, protected sectors, entrenching a

Education Reforms Must Begin with Equity

Education reforms in Sri Lanka are both necessary and long overdue. Few would dispute the need to modernise curricula, teaching methods and assessment systems. However, the manner in which reforms are conceived and implemented is as important as the reforms themselves. Regrettably, current proposals appear to overlook the educational realities faced by the poor, the underprivileged and the rural population.

English module fiasco exposes Govt’s limitations despite house majority

The government’s retreat on education reforms proves that even a record-breaking parliamentary majority cannot override Sri Lanka’s deeply rooted religious and cultural ethos.

Can a song created by an AI app have copyright?

AI apps that allow music generation has taken the world by storm. It creates music which sounds similar to an original creator. While the users may be happy using AI to make the song they want, a pertinent question has been raised as to what would happen to the performer (that is the singer), the composer and the lyricist and for that matter the Record Labels and the Music recording industry itself.

The death throes of Ayatullah: The theocratic regime of Iran is killing for its survival

As of early this week, the Islamic Republic of Iran had slaughtered over six hundred protesters, terrorising with brute force into submission another cycle of widespread protests against the repressive theocratic regime. The regime sources put the death toll as high as 2000.

North and East cannot be left behind forever

Nearly sixteen years after the guns fell silent, Sri Lanka’s North and East remain trapped in a quiet but devastating crisis. It is not a crisis of war, but of neglect.

Education Reforms call for more responsibility

The ongoing debate on the proposed education reforms has generated considerable public attention—and rightly so.

Education reforms and the privilege gap

The education reforms which have been presented by the National People’s Power (NPP) Government has eclipsed everything in politics in the country, with Opposition parties demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya who is also the Minister of Education.

Preventing de-dollarisation Trump’s aim in Venezuela and the world too

US President Donald Trump had several objectives in invading Venezuela and taking its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife hostage. One of the key aims was to prevent the de-dollarisation of Venezuela’s foreign trade and to warn other countries against abandoning the US Dollar in favour of other currencies, especially the Chinese Yuan. In 2018, Venezuela had announced that it would “free itself from the dollar” and started accepting Yuan, Euros,

Chinese Foreign Minister’s visit is an opportunity for Socialists!

From the 14th-century voyages of Zheng He to the 1952 Rubber-Rice Pact, China has acted as Sri Lanka’s stabilizer. Prof. Samitha Hettige argues that as the Dissanayake administration navigates IMF targets, the Belt and Road Initiative offers a blueprint for glory, transforming the island into a regional logistics powerhouse.

Beware of Bogus Elders Homes

This is a warning to readers about an elders’ home in Sarikamulla, Panadura with its owner conducting unethical activities under the guise of religion.

Assessing the geopolitical isolation of the United States and Israel in 2026

The dawn of 2026 marks a watershed moment in modern history. The traditional “Pax Americana” that defined the post-WWII era has fractured, replaced by a volatile landscape of unilateralism and aggressive protectionism.

Bringing back the ‘Ugly American’: Trump’s Naked Aggression: War for Oil Disguised as Justice

This is really about controlling the world’s largest oil reserves and keeping them away from America’s rivals. Right now, China buys 80 percent of Venezuela’s oil exports.

Casting stones from glass houses: A distracted discourse on a module muddle

It is not clear how many people in this country can understand the ongoing row over the proposed education reforms which the government initially planned to implement from this month.

Foreign Minister gloats over sale of our people’s labour

Our Foreign Minister – Vijitha Herath -- was in a jubilant mood over the past few days. He announced foreign exchange remittances from Sri Lankan migrant workers had increased by nineteen percent. He boasted that the remittances at the end of December 2025 stood at a massive US$ 7.8 billion.

Digitalisation remains a slogan, not a service

We speak endlessly about “prosperity through digitalisation,” but the ground reality tells another story. The Ceylon Government Railway proudly offers online ticket booking, yet when a train is cancelled the refund cannot be processed online.

Auditor General vacuum, no excuse for Govt.

The prolonged delay in appointing a permanent Auditor General has quietly, but dangerously exposed a fault line in the government’s accountability. The issue, in fact, strikes at the very heart of public accountability and governance - topics touted much by the government made in the pre-election era as a force in the opposition. Ridding the country of corruption was the key campaign slogan of the current government. Investigations into past cri

Venezuela: Beware of imperial America’s unholy Roman emperor

On January 3, under the cover of darkness, the United States invaded Venezuela and kidnapped its democratically elected leader, Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife. In doing so, it destroyed an edifice that, since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, has symbolised the inviolability of state sovereignty. Following the West’s victory over Communism in 1991, Francis Fukuyama advanced his “End of History” theory, arguing that liberal democracy has reach

A silver lining amid the storm

The recent storm that devastated large parts of the country through floods and landslides also exposed an uncomfortable truth we have long chosen to ignore—the alarming level of pollution in our rivers, streams, and brooks caused by polythene and plastic waste. As floodwaters rose, carrying debris downstream, the extent of this pollution became starkly visible. A striking image from the Mahaweli River bank near Katugastota shows polythene waste t

Climate change is real, but are we ready to face it?

Adverse weather conditions are likely to prevail in Sri Lanka with another depression forming over the Bay of Bengal. According to the Meteorological Department, this Depression is likely to intensify over the next 24 hours. Red alerts have been issued in several districts including Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla and Matale. Many of these areas are now like an active volcano, erupting frequently, posing threats to people living in these rather isol