An Act against its creators

 Two civil movements, Sarvodaya and Transparency International (TI) had recently said......

Trump and Iran: Restraint not rhetoric

?Donald Trump is newsmaker extraordinary. It is no exaggeration to say that from the day he assumed office on January 20, not a single morning passes without a breaking news item connected to him being flashed across the TV screen as we switch on to CNN.....

This waste and plunder must stop now

With the ever-increasing marvels of modern technology making the concept of a global village more of a reality and with the newly-inaugurated United States President Donald Trump bringing about chaos in the international political and economic order, paradigm shifts are necessary.....

I will not let anyone politicize this post Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe

Auditor General Gamini Wijesinghe is now at the centre of much controversy, with certain MPs and Ministers expressing their views of him and some even having gone to the extent of criticizing his findings on the Bond Scam, 

Wigneswaran and puppeteering with ghosts

Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara’s recent comments on Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran contained valid observations, old news delivered as though it was new, half-truths and some uncalled for insults. Wigneswaran’s response was, in contrast, quite sober though not unproblematic.  

Cabinet Reshuffle Delayed

When President Maithripala Sirisena stressed at a top level meeting last Friday that he should take ‘some action’ to eliminate corruption, it was construed as a reference to a Cabinet reshuffle.  It proved to be correct later, but the President did not move on it.  

Vision 2020: Who wants it to go blind?

Since 2007 one of the Health Ministry’s most enlightened operations, has been the Vision 2020 Mission,

PIA’s growing backlash against ‘Yahapalanaya’

Experiencing two years of ‘Yahapalanaya,’ those who brought forth the change in government seem to be anxious over a few of its practices, ....

Absence of self critical assessment despite 20 year in power left the SLFP in predicament

Former Minister, and former Chairman of the COPE and leader of the Communist Party of  Sri Lanka, ......

GMOA, SLMC should follow court order

Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella, in an interview with Daily Mirror, stresses the need for promotion of private investment in higher education in Sri Lanka to create more and more opportunities for students. .....

GOSL duty-bound to protect rights of all citizens, whatever their status

De-criminalising is de-colonising. Repealing Article 365 and 365 (A) of Sri Lanka’s Penal Code is not just supporting the de-criminalising of same sex sexual conduct between consenting adults.....

SAITM: Extra judicial methods won’t overturn Court Ruling - EDITORIAL

The Appeal Court on January 31 ruled that a petitioner, an MBBS graduate student of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Management....

What do railway’s ‘foreigners only toilets’ tell about 69th Independence Day?

Unlike during the decades back when patriotism was forced down the throat, these days there is a degree of circumspection when Sri Lankans

Lets turn to the Sun for sustainable energy - EDITORIAL

With the possible declaration of a state of emergency and the deployment of troops to deal with the effects of the ongoing drought, citizens....

Of 69 Years- 57 Gobbled up by Politicians, their Acolytes, Cronies and Vandibattas!

Corruption which was sweeping into the body politics unreservedly grabbed a fair portion of Independence; and continues to.....

TRUMP OF A FIFTEEN DAYS… - EDITORIAL

On January 20, 2017, Donald J. Trump assumed office as US President. He rode into power on the back of the slogan.....

Will Norway handover diaspora Tiger leader “Nediyavan” to Sri Lanka?

“What was your first military operation”? was a question posed to Veluppillai Prabhakaran in a media interview many years ago. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader replied “ Alfred Durayappah”.

FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM D.S. Senanayake: ARCHITECT OF SRI LANKA’S INDEPENDENCE

Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister  D.S. Senanayake entered the National Legislature in 1924. He was relatively unknown in the country and was pushed into prominence by elder brother F.R. Senanayake, who was

Let us build bridges, no walls

“Where the mind is without fear and the head held high,   Where knowledge is free  

Playing politics with Sumanthiran plot

The news on the assassination attempt on Parliamentarian and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesman M.A. Sumanthiran that was broken by the Daily Mirror on January 21 has put many political parties in a difficult position. 

Will the Govt. play fair with the RTI Act?

The Right to Information (RTI) Act will come into effect today, February 03, 2017.    The Sri Lankan RTI Act is ranked 10th best in the world.   

The Deadly Dare

In 2009, the controversial Presidential election in Iran was met with mass public protests. What followed was State-wide crackdown on dissent.

Muslims came to America before Columbus

In 2003, six months after US troops invaded Iraq, I met this young Afro American researcher in Chicago, while I was touring the United States under a State Department International Visitors’ Programme. 

RTI Law: The vision is to end culture of secrecy

On the eve of our 69th Independence Day, Sri Lanka’s potentially historic Right to Information Act (RTI) will be activated for the benefit of all people across the country.

MR’ s acolytes want old regime back for survival-CBK

The role played by Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in changing the political landscape in January 2015 was praiseworthy. 

After Faiszer’s assurance, parties hopeful of LG polls

Following Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Faiszer Musthapha’s assurance in court that he would Gazette the electoral wards in conformity with recommendations by the Delimitation Review Committee within a month, there is now some certainty about the possibility of holding the local authorities’ election this year. 

Grievances and resolution: The question of true dimensions

Dr Nirmala Chandrahasan (LLB, LLM, PhD, Attorney-at-Law) in an article titled “National Question and grievances faced by a minority’ (which she claims is a response to a piece I wrote, ‘Let’s make Sampanthan’s New Year wish come true’) offers some sober reflections on the issue of grievances, lists what she considers the most important and makes recommendations for their resolution. They warrant discussion. &nb

Vital role of wetlands in battle against climate change

Today is World Wetland’s Day with this year’s theme being Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction.  A wetland or marshland as we know it in Sri Lanka, is a land area saturated with water, permanently or seasonally. Thus it becomes an important ecosystem. 

900 dead journalists behind the headlines

Today is the United Nations Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists and the UN reveals the shocking truth that over the past 11 years, more than 900 journalists have been killed for bringing news and information to the people. Sadly, only one in ten 

Colleagues Remember Mel Gunasekera ....

Mel was a hard-nosed journalist, but many of her colleagues and friends remember her most for having a warm personality and being a good friend. Some of their fondest memories of Mel Gunasekera is of her infectious smile.