The National Social Protection Strategy: Acute need to reduce caregiving burden of migrant worker families

October 29 marks the International Day of Care and Support. This article looks at the government’s new social protection strategy, and whether its promise of ‘leaving no one behind’ will respond to the care deficits in migrant worker households.

Advice to young writers: “Don’t lose your heads when flowers bloom”

Sepalika is the name of a flower. It also evokes songs by Srilankan singers Karunarathna Divulgane and Jayasiri Amarasekara. And don’t get this mixed up with a teledrama called Sepalika, either, telecast many years ago. Right now, Sepalika is the name of the latest Sinhala literary sensation.

So much for good governance: Weligama PS chairman killing yet again reveals underworld nexus in politics

Last week’s killing of Lasantha Wickremesekara, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) controlled Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha chairman, inside the chamber by a gunman, and subsequent allegations and counter-allegations over the killing have rekindled the fear of the return of political violence.

Curbing crime: no time for grandstanding

Following the arrest of the person who allegedly killed Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara, a video footage went viral on social media showing his capture.

Gangs want political power for themselves

There was a time in our history, when political assasinations had a political twist. The SWRD murder springs to mind.

Politicisation of crimes might save the real criminals

The killing of Weligama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Lasantha Wickramasekara on a busy day of his council in broad daylight on October 22 and its aftermath has raised many questions with regard to the safety of people’s representatives, insensitivity of politicians and the media towards victims of crimes and the continued politicisation of crimes.

Radical Islamists on the upswing in Bangladesh and Pakistan

Radical Islamists are gaining ground in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In Pakistan, they are getting more organised, militant and terroristic, while in Bangladesh, they are expanding their ideological reach, a development which could reshape domestic electoral outcomes and relations with India.

When elephants were neighbours, not foes

The Human-elephant conflict has become an urgent issue in Sri Lanka, with frequent encounters leading to crop damage, injuries, and sometimes the tragic loss of life. Yet, history shows us that coexistence is possible if approached with care, respect, and understanding.

The pros and cons of a future world with no superpowers

The global order established in the aftermath of World War II, characterised for decades by the unipolar dominance of the United States, is exhibiting pronounced signs of stress and transition.

The Cost of Religious Extravagance:Katina-Wasteful Illuminations, Amplified Devotion

In the quiet hours before dawn, when communities should be at rest, Sri Lanka’s residential neighbourhoods are jolted awake by amplified loudspeakers from religious institutions.

Raising the resilient generation

When I was growing up, slippers could fly. Not figuratively, but quite literally across the room. Discipline was swift, emotional, and entirely unfiltered. It was how many of us learned boundaries, accountability, and a certain rough-edged resilience.

Why are Women still barred from voting in the Diyawadana Nilame election

A sizable chunk of voters will not cast their vote this year in the election of the Diyawadana Nilame, as the “Vihara and Devalagam Act” under which the election is conducted has no provisions allowing women to use their vote.

Enhancement of Efficiency in Human Resources through Training

Training is a vital component of Human Resource Development (HRD). In the context of HRD, Human Resources means a collective of personnel in organisations, either in the public or private sector.

Sri Lankan Tamil leaders left high and dry:The UNHRC, a toothless tiger?

The National People’s Power (NPP) government’s approach towards the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions on Sri Lanka is somewhat different from that of the previous governments.

People have such short memories

It has become fashionable to blame the government for failing to curb the crime wave. The murder of a provincial counsellor sparked more outrage and critics are lambasting the government.

Mao’s Long March: The foundation stone of today’s China

China’s rise to prosperity and the place it holds today as a world power is spectacular. But the road was long and hard. When Chinese President Xi Jinping talks of a ‘century of humiliation,’ he is referring to the chaos that Mao and his followers inherited after four decades of civil war.

Are Zohran Mamdani’s proposals the answer to inequality in the US?

The divide between the rich and the poor has always been there in the United States, but it has become pronounced in recent months, say Ben Casselman and Colby Smith in a recent piece in The New York Times.

A chilling indictment on law and order

The daylight murder of the Welgama Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman sent shockwaves across the country, not merely because a local politician was slain, but because it revealed — once again — the frightening extent to which the rule of law has eroded in Sri Lanka. It was not just a criminal act; it was a public execution that symbolised the growing collapse of order in our society.

Third-state complicity in Gaza genocide: Whither international law and ICJ rulings?

A foundational question tackled in the study of international law is, ‘Is international law really law?’ Nothing provides a more robust response to this question than the actions of Israel and the imperial West that sucks up to Zionism, Israel’s state ideology

Be vigilant at the Banks

“Everything needs money” this concept again came to my mind because of an experience that happened to me at a reputed bank here a few weeks ago. I went to the bank in which I have been a customer for more than two decades to withdraw some money from my account and deposit it in another company’s account.

New medicine price formula, a step in the right direction?

The passage of the new pricing formula for imported pharmaceutical drugs in Parliament could be considered a key strategy to address shortages of medicine and to ensure transparency in the provision of medicines to the public. Unregulated costs of medicines have become a burden to the average citizen, who finds it a challenge to allocate a considerable amount of their expenses to purchase medicines. In most instances, patients are inconvenienced

Decoding ‘76 years of curse’

Recent rave social media reviews by Indian visitors about Sri Lanka, especially about our roads and civic sense, might make a Sri Lankan blush. One should agree that such assessments are a subjective experience. But there is also a genuine appreciation, though South Asians in general are good at trash-talking their own countries.

Still Waiting: Families of Murdered Journalists Demand Action

Decades have passed since some of Sri Lanka’s most controversial killings of Lasantha, Ekneligoda, Raviraj, Shri Ram, Wasim and hundreds of others, whose deaths have not seen a decent inquiry or prosecution. Instead of delivering justice to these killings, since 2010, at each election trial, this has become a political game where the families and loved ones of these victims continue to be spectators waiting in anguish and frustration, watching ev

Tea stains from the tea trail

When you earn a daily wage you simply plan your life around the concept ‘one day at a time’. Thinking long-term for them would mean getting through the 30 days of the month.

A political whirlpool in Palk Strait

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to raise the concerns of Indian fishermen with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during her three-day visit to India. Stalin highlighted repeated incidents of alleged harassment of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, according to Indian media.

“Who Will Rid Us of This Pestilent Industry?” Tobacco: Mother of Narcotics & suavely packaged death

Nicotine is one of the most powerfully addictive substances known to science. Long before modern neuroscience explained how drugs hijack the brain’s reward systems, tobacco users directly experienced addiction’s compulsive nature, the difficulty quitting despite wanting to, physical withdrawal symptoms, and psychological cravings. This made tobacco humanity’s first systematic encounter with understanding chemical addiction.

Leading a Fulfilling Life After Service for Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces Veterans

Sri Lankan armed forces veterans participated in a lengthy and intense conflict known as the Eelam War, culminating in a significant victory in 2009. Despite this achievement, many veterans emerged from the conflict with lasting physical injuries that continue to affect their lives long after their military service has ended. Additionally, numerous veterans were confronted with the harsh realities of war, leading to mental health challenges such

The end of Socialism in Sri Lanka

Anura Kumara Dissanayake became the pallbearer at the funeral of Socialism in Sri Lanka. In the coffin lay the Communist Party, LSSP, NLSSP, MEP — and the JVP itself.

Rationale for Government’s choice of cooperation over confrontation

In contrast to intolerance in governance and towards others who are deemed to be outsiders that is increasingly being manifested in the world, Sri Lanka is taking a different path. It is adopting an inclusive approach to all communities that is in the national interest and is winning international support. The country’s recent conduct at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a case in point. Rather than forcing a vote that would have been divisi

The Stories That Bind Us

From ancient myth to modern cinema, the same universal story continues to unfold. What Joseph Campbell called “the hero’s journey” is not only found in books and films, but also in the lives we live and the stories we tell in Sri Lanka and beyond.