When screens steal our children from us

There was a time when evenings in Sri Lankan homes were filled with sound. The clatter of plates being set on the table, the familiar arguments over homework, a mother calling out to children to wash their hands before dinner, a father asking about school.

Don’t exploit a disaster

The ugly side of relief distribution is now becoming more evident with various political actors trying to show their faces in these programmes.

Post disaster management is crucial

Around 7000 people affected by floods and landslides caused by Cyclone Ditwah which made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 27 are said to be still staying in welfare centres, while over 6000 houses have been completely destroyed.

The Wounds That Billions Cannot Heal

The storm that swept through our nation has left behind a landscape of broken homes, twisted roads, and shattered infrastructure. Engineers and economists are already adding up the billions needed to rebuild what was lost. Bridges can be restored, electricity can be reconnected, and houses will one day rise again where rubble now lies. But there is another kind of damage—quieter, deeper, and far less measurable.

All Governments Targeted Media Under Emergency: Silencing Critics: Emergency Powers & Media Freedom

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake made a familiar promise to the nation on December 2nd: emergency regulations enacted for disaster reconstruction would not be misused for other purposes. “I assure every citizen that these emergency powers will not be misused,” he declared, explaining that the measures were necessary to provide legal and financial safeguards for efficient reconstruction following severe damage to essential sectors.

Presidential authority in times of emergency: A contemporary appraisal

The following is a keynote address delivered by Prof. G. L. Peiris at the International Research Conference of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo held on December 12, 2025.

Cyclone Ditwah and Disaster Capitalism A warming planet, exhausted ecosystems and deep inequalities conspire together

Cyclone Ditwah tore through Sri Lanka with a frightening force, leaving behind washed-out villages, broken roads, drowned fields, and thousands of families trying to rebuild their lives from the mud. But as the waters recede and statistics slowly replace human stories, one uncomfortable truth remains pertinent.

When power meets the bottle, who pays the price?

There is a familiar sinking feeling Sri Lankans experience every time news breaks about a politician involved in a road accident or public incident allegedly linked to alcohol.

Let’s prepare for the next disaster

The recent cyclone disaster like the earlier Tsunami, has caught us all by surprise. Preventable loss of life and property has caused the country dearly.

How JR Amended his Constitution to Enable a Tamil MP Join The UNP Govt

Chelliah Rajadurai, a veteran politician of Sri Lanka -- perhaps the oldest among former Parliamentarians -- passed away on December 7, 2025 at the age of 98. Rajadurai hailing from Batticaloa was a colourful personality who served as an MP, Mayor, Cabinet minister and High Commissioner in an eventful political career.

No one can predict how rivers will overflow Disaster warnings alone would not save human lives

The Cyclone Ditwah that was formed in Southwest Bay of Bengal on November 26 and made landfall in Sri Lanka on November 28 has claimed at least 635 lives, leaving another around 200 persons disappeared by December 9. The numbers might slightly rise up.

Cyclone Ditwah and the politics of disaster

In November ‘Cyclone Ditwah’ hit our country in all its fury. With wind speeds of over 80 kmph, it brought with it 150–500 mm of rainfall for three consecutive days, triggering the worst landslides and flooding in the country in 20 years. Power outages, floods/wash away of major roads and landslides resulted.

URGENT SUMMONS

The plight of our people and of our country at present is summoning us, the citizens of Sri Lanka, in a special way, to collaborate to promote the common good of our people and of our country in pain and need.

Justice delayed is justice denied

Chairman of the United National Party (UNP) Wajira Abeywardena has said that Sri Lanka’s conviction rate remains as low as two percent, as reported in the media. While Sri Lanka records only a two-percent conviction rate, Japan’s stands as high as 98 percent, according to him.

Disaster geopolitics in Ditwah’s wake

Just as Canada’s social justice activist and writer Naomi Klein, in her highly celebrated book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, explains the relations between disasters—manmade or natural—and vulgar capitalism driven by inhumane greed, so too can we see an inviting link between disasters and geopolitics. In her 2007 book, she argues that disasters and wars are like honeypots for capitalist bees—or flies.

Lessons to be learnt from Cyclone Ditwah!

In the aftermath of the catastrophic cyclone which overwhelmed our motherland with devastating consequence, causing loss of life and property across the country, we witnessed the commitment and compassion that was demonstrated by our citizenry to help humanity. This sublime gesture that transcended the diversity of creed and ethnicity of our populace by extending their heartfelt care and concern, is a defining characteristic that we as a natio

Coordinated efforts matter, at least during a natural disaster

One lesson taught by Cyclone Ditwah is that people need to respect the environment more. With the high demand for real estate, people are convinced to purchase locations with the best view, proximity to the nearest town and other features often ignoring the sensitivity of these locations. Most high risk landslide-prone areas are in close proximity to forest reserves. The demarcation of boundaries and the use of such lands for commercial purposes

Dear Mother Lanka

I’m writing you this letter with a heartbeat for a pen, ’Cause you’ve been fighting through the storms again and again. Little island of mine, wrapped in green like a queen, Mountains standing guard while the monsoons scream.

Size matters when cyclones hit: Are our expatriate communities doing anything to help?

The world’s worst cyclone-hit countries are mainly in South and Southeast Asia – Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Now Sri Lanka and Thailand too, are in that sombre list.

Positioning Sri Lanka in an emerging multipolar world order

Over the past four years, geopolitical, economic, and technological shifts have progressed at a pace unmatched in the previous three decades. The world we face today is fundamentally different from the one we knew before. War has returned to Europe, shattering the assumption that major interstate conflict on the continent was a thing of the past. The Middle East is once again engulfed in overlapping crises that draw in both regional actors and gl

Psychological Support for flood disaster victims: Almsgiving, community meals, prayer, kindness - all this can help

The recent floods in Sri Lanka have left individuals and communities facing profound emotional, psychological, and practical challenges.

Post-cyclone reconstruction: Hold an international donor summit before the world forgets

As Sri Lanka assesses the scale of the devastation of Cyclone Ditwah, the worst-ever natural disaster since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, it should also plan for the next phase of reconstruction in earnest.

Is Sri Lanka’s national survival truly threatened?

Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, boasts of a history stretching back over 2,500 years, rich with cultural heritage and resilience forged through centuries, including foreign rule from 1505 to 1948.

The hidden crisis How floods, slides threaten health of Sri Lanka’s elderly

When Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka in late November 2025, the force of nature felt almost unreal. Hundreds of people died, thousands remain unaccounted for, and more than 147,000 were pushed from the places they once called home.

Review of the publication ‘Sinharaja’ A book that converts science into a story that nudges readers to visit Sinharaja

The legendary Sinharaja rainforest is one of the last remaining vestiges of widespread lowland rainforests that pay homage to an exceptionally concentrated biome consisting of endemic and threatened species.

Will Sri Lanka ever learn?

The era of global warming, no country is immune from extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, or heatwaves. Yet nations with stronger disaster-preparedness systems consistently mitigate damage and reduce death tolls. The global lesson is clear: countries must learn from past catastrophes and adapt their response mechanisms accordingly.

Don’t blame Ditwah—blame our environmental sins

It goes without saying that Sri Lanka is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. In recent decades, the country has been regularly lashed by extreme weather conditions in the form of either prolonged droughts or relentless rains.

Extracts from a sad farmer’s diary

Sri Lanka’s rice industry is similar to Yo-yo dieting; sometimes it gains and it equally loses. Hence a close look at Sri Lanka’s rice industry merits an in-depth analysis, especially during adverse weather conditions experienced at present.

Cyclone Ditwah and her devastation

We Sri Lankans are reeling from the unimaginable consequences of what Cyclone Ditwah left in her trail. The human suffering through death and isolation, hunger and homelessness, loss of property and sources of income, the bleakness of any hope for tomorrow. In addition, the country’s infrastructure, such as roads, rail tracks, factories, water sources, agricultural lands, which are vital for the daily turning of the economic wheel have been ruine

Why disaster management should now be the govt.’s top priority

Cyclone Ditwah has passed. But the damage it has caused is irreversible. With over 400 recorded deaths and more people still marked as missing, the Cyclone had affected over a million people in the country. Following the 2004 tsunami, people became aware of the extent of a natural disaster. In fact the name tsunami itself was unheard of for a majority of people in the country. It was following the tsunami that policymakers started taking disaste