Sri Lanka’s enduring struggle Reasons for our post-independence underdevelopment

​Sri Lanka, an island nation blessed with abundant natural beauty and a strategically vital location, has, for over 77 years since gaining independence, remained entrenched in the category of a developing country.

History: A Double-Edged Sword EDUCATION - Safeguard Child’s Birthright to Create

Every child is born with the same creative power. This is not just a nice idea—it is a fact. All human brains, no matter what race, religion, or class can imagine, invent, and create. The genius we see in great artists and inventors lives inside every child, waiting to grow.

Victims of Black July and Easter Sunday await justice

As the month of July 2025 draws to a close, it is a good time to reminisce on the events of July 1983, which led to the coining of the term ‘Black July’ in our country.

Public Nuisance: Huge Containers on City Roads during Peak Hours

Through your esteemed publication, I would like to bring to the attention of the concerned authorities a pressing issue that affects the daily lives of commuters in our city. The placement of huge containers on city roads during peak hours, specifically between 4 pm and 9 pm, has become a significant public nuisance.

The “Weeping Widow” who Became the World’s First Woman Prime Minister

History was made 65 years ago in July 1960 when 44 year old Sirimavo Bandaranaike assumed office as the prime minister of Sri Lanka known then as Ceylon. Sirimavo shattered a glass ceiling by becoming the world’s first elected woman prime minister. It is said that the British press coined a new word “stateswoman” after Sirimavo became PM.

Cracking down on corruption and need for changed strategies

Prior to 2023, it was a very rare instance for parliamentarians, ministers or presidents of this country to be held responsible for crimes they committed wittingly or unwittingly. It had become a culture where politicians could even commit murder with impunity. Police inquiries and judicial sentences were halted or overturned on political affiliation.

The story of mass graves in Sri Lanka

The reports about finding skeletal remains of children from what now seems to be a mass grave at Chemmani, the entrance to Jaffna city, inevitably remind the writer of a similar scenario that occurred some forty years ago, in 1984.

Why Wait? Give Gen-Alpha a Head Start in Language Learning

Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Training, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, recently informed Parliament of the Government’s plan to make Sinhala compulsory as a second language for Tamil-medium students, and Tamil for Sinhala-medium students, from Grade 6 to Grade 9 in all government schools.

Is independence from political influence overrated?

Sri Lankans, at least those who engage with the esoterica of lawmaking, appear to think highly of independence from political influence. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution which was forced on President Kumaratunga by the JVP in 2001 introduced the novel institution of the Constitutional Council.

Human-Elephant conflict Assam’s story is an eye-opener

Sri Lanka is at the forefront of the human-elephant conflict (HEC), with 130 people and 380 elephants dying as a result last year. This is the highest HEC death toll reported from anywhere. But we are not the only country affected by this issue, and this is an attempt to take a comparative look at other affected countries.

All eyes on education reforms, but teachers also must ‘grow’

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is planning many reforms to make education in the country a pleasant and rewarding experience. This is what we gather when we read about what President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Premier Harini Amarasuriya have to say about education reforms through our browsing of newspapers. We are made to understand that the government is planning to change the education system from being an exam related one to a module ba

R2P RIP; its grave is in Gaza

Responsibility to protect—protect whom? The vulnerable, facing imminent death. We had heard the term before. It was once fashionable in political discourse to invoke the concept—stylishly abbreviated as R2P—when powers, both big and not so big, cited it to justify interventions ostensibly on humanitarian grounds. To be seen as benevolent, after all, they thought, would enhance their international standing as do-gooders.

Garbage crisis at Armour Street flats and CMC’s inaction

Despite a formal complaint lodged on July 10, 2025 with the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) — including its senior officers, the Commissioner, and the Mayoress—the mounting garbage within the precincts of Armour Street Flat remains uncleared as of today (July 24, 2025). This was followed up with WhatsApp/SMS messages and phone calls, yet no meaningful action has been taken.

Removal of an IGP, a first for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is in the process of witnessing the removal of an Inspector General of Police (IGP). The decision to remove IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon came about when he was found guilty of serious allegations by a constitutionally appointed Committee of Inquiry, setting the stage for an unprecedented parliamentary vote on his removal. According to Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, “this is the first time in the history of the Republic of Sri Lanka that such a c

Climate Change Catastrophe: Are We Ready?

The time has come to face a harsh truth: climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is here, and it is having disastrous consequences.

America at 250: Democracy’s Promise and Contradictions

As the United States begins its 250th year of existence, it finds itself in the midst of what many observers describe as a profound political, social, intellectual and cultural transformation. The great democratic principles that were proclaimed in Jefferson’s famous document—principles which inspired not only the struggle against the British monarchy, but also the Second American Revolution of 1861-65 that abolished slavery—face significant chal

Why do ‘civil society champions’  want to shut down Chabad Houses?

A recent curious occurrence should baffle discerning Sri Lankans. Local civil society activists and religious freedom advocates, who at other times decry the ‘Sinhala Buddhist Supremism’, are now campaigning to shut down Jewish Chabad houses in the country.

Lanka -from political dignity to slavish servility

At a given point of time, ours was a country where political leaders and ordinary citizens alike, walked with heads held high. The then leadership took decisions based on the people’s needs and country’s benefit.

It’s the CMC’s responsibility to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs

Media reports are again raising alarm about the increasing number of stray dogs on the roads.

The blood of victims in mass graves cries for justice

Several mass graves have been discovered in our land. All of them allegedly linked to rogue elements within the police and armed forces of the state. The victims -- as always civilians- come from both majority and minority communities and range from women and children to the old and the infirm.

CALLING THE GOVERNMENT AND SEDEC/CARITAS FOR MEANINgFUL ACTION

The Sri Lankan Government and the National SEDEC/ CARITAS organisation of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka, whose task needs to be vitally concerned with the burning issues of the country, should consider it a matter of urgency to listen not only to the painful cries of our fishermen but also to propose practical solutions to tide over the present difficult situation faced by fishermen. Some examples:

Genocide, mass killings, expulsions – end result of a process

Before 2023, genocide was thought to be a feature of the 20th Century which saw mass killings in Nazi-dominated Europe, Cambodia, Yugoslavia and Rwanda. But Israel proved that it could be a 21st Century phenomenon too, by its relentless attempt the wipe out Palestinians in Gaza.

Sri Lankan Leaders Continue To Favour Incompetents Over Intellectuals

“The colonial administrator Leonard Woolf, in his foundational text Villagein the Jungle penned a disquieting insight into Sri Lankan monarchs of old, an insight that resonates with chilling, almost prophetic, accuracy in our current political climate.” Woolf noted, with a distinct undertone of regret and perhaps exasperation, that these kings often preferred “idiots and buffoons” to intellectuals. Their courts, he implied, were populated by thos

Finance on the Precipice Finding our way forward without the IMF

The current global era is dominated by finance. Following the long economic downturn of the 1970s with falling profits, capitalism shifted towards an accumulation strategy centred on finance for profit generation.

Why Sri Lanka Must Keep History in Schools

Unlike many global powers that take pride in their modern accomplishments, Sri Lanka stands unique in its possession of a written history that stretches back more than two and a half millennia. Few nations can claim such continuity of record and cultural memory.

The mastermind who eternally eludes identity

More than six years after the Easter Sunday Terrorist attacks in 2019 targeting Christians, yet another adjournment debate on the incident was held in Parliament on 9th of this month.

Lanka’s gentle giants being driven into extinction

A few days ago, many were heart-broken when we read of the death of yet another majestic elephant called ‘Bhathiya’. Approval was granted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and regulatory bodies, for the foreign veterinarians to arrive in Sri Lanka to treat the animal, but Bhathiya died before they could arrive.

Sathosa: No management, no maintenance?

Incredible as it may seem, the Sathosa supermarket outlet at Borella has been without air conditioning for almost a month now.

Safety of people and wildlife at stake?

The Wildlife Department head recently revealed that most weapons used to kill elephants and wildlife were domestically produced weapons and that the government analyst has issues tracing the origins of bullets during investigations.

Men in khaki uniform must use humour

The Sri Lanka Police are so close to the public in terms of dispensing their duties. For some unexplainable reason, people fear the men in khaki. This could be one reason why the Sri Lanka Police have decided to use some humour in sending a message to errant drivers. The police website has a recent post to attract the attention of drivers who wouldn’t care much about being obedient drivers. The post shows the drawing of a horse. The first half o