Politics vs. Politricks: Sri Lanka’s cruel and unrelenting dichotomy

The depths into which our politics has collapsed and its unending passage through successive 

Food safety, beware of the forbidden fruit

Sri Lanka today moves into the third day of the National Food Safety week, from August 22 to 29 and this gives plenty of food for thought not only for the health authorities but for all the people because 

National Policy on Trade: Need of the hour

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), a body vociferously critical of the ETCA, says a proper national policy on trading should be evolved before signing any bilateral agreement for 

If we sign ETCA, it will become more attractive for other trade agreements

Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, an academic advocating a broad trade agreement with India, says the 

‘Hakka Patas’: The killer trap

‘Hakka Patas’ or an improvised small explosive device which contains black gun powder, lead and iron made to a ball of a......

government lives up to voters’ expectations - Navin

In an interview with Daily Mirror by email, Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake , in an email interview with....

Social media addiction: Disconnecting from reality

Social media have kept people occupied to the extent that they hesitate to ‘log out’ from these applications (commonly known as apps) or devices.....

What do the Olympics tell about Sri Lanka?

Rio Olympics concluded on Sunday and we as usual finished with precious little to show in terms of sporting talent. That is....

President gets tough for a clean Sri Lanka - EDITORIAL

In what could turn out to be a landmark speech made in Matara last Friday, President Maithripala Sirisena publicly.....

A great academic and a pioneer in social work education

The sad news of Prof. E.G.de Silva’s demise reached me only a few days ago. On March 29, 2016, he had peacefully passed away at the....

Govt. can use the Lottery Funds wisely

The UK’s Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is a model Sri Lanka can draw upon to fund restoration and upkeep of neglected sites, buildings....

Who are the extremists? Muslims or the Far Right?

An extract of a speech delivered by M. M. Zuhair PC, former Member of Parliament at the Islamic conference organized....

THE “OFFICE” OF MISSING PERSONS: LURKING DANGERS

The proposal to establish the “Office” of Missing Persons is one of the solemn guarantees embodied in the Resolution....

Government’s reconciliation process on track

There is a need to broad base and further intensify the process of public education on the reconciliation process.....

THE NEED OF THE HOUR

The Youth Commission had repetitively urged in their report that vocational training facilities be increased so that....

THE OLYMPICS: THE FAME AND THE SHAME - EDITORIAL

The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad and commonly referred to as Rio 2016, came to an.....

When a Tamil Catholic Priest went Missing in Jaffna Ten years Ago

Exactly ten years ago on August 20, 2006 a member of the Catholic Clergy along with a member of the Catholic Laity went missing in the North.The clergyman was Fr. Thiruchelvam Nihal Jim Brown who was serving as a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna. The layman was Wenceslaus Vimaladhas a social worker.   

Bellanvila Viharaya; Yeoman service towards community development

In the month of August this year, the 66th annual historic Bellanvila Esala Perahera will take to the street.  

Perhaps economic stagnation is a good thing

The announcement was made yesterday by Japan’s Finance Ministry: In the last quarter of the year the Japanese economy grew at an annualised rate of 0.2%. 

Quo vadis: Question to the Rajapaksa dissidents

Leaders, Ministers, MPs, local councilors and members of the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) for the first time yesterday held a joint public rally in the Southern heartland of Matara. This was to mark the first anniversary of the formation of a consensus Government between the two major parties for the first time since independence in 1948.

Will the OMP find the missing links?

In Sri Lanka, all armed entities, official or unofficial, have abducted people, whether they were opponents or not. Many victims were killed or made simply to disappear. Main among those accused 

Foreign Policy: Can Trump be trusted with 7,100 nukes?

Foreign policy experts identify national objectives and the means of achieving them as the two fundamental elements in foreign policy. It is also said foreign policy cannot be separated from 

The day the Karanduwa nearly fell off

Controversy has piled up over the years as to why former Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyeratne failed to accommodate the Basnayake Nilames of the four Devales during the first four days of the 

Parents, Don’t think doctors and engineers are the only happy people

With the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examination now into its third week and the pressure building up for next Sunday’s Grade five scholarship examination it would be educative and 

We too can muster bigger crowd : President

This interview with President Maithripala Sirisena covers the controversial issues of the Paada Yathra,VAT Bill, Port City project and plans to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP). The President shared his views with our sister  paper ‘The Sunday Lankadeepa’ 

How about an informed Foreign Policy?

Small nations typically do not have much by way of bargaining power vis-à-vis powerful nations; ‘small’ meaning economically and militarily weak rather than land size.

The ‘mysterious deaths’ must be probed and put to rest

The Tamil community especially in the North appear to be agitated  about reports of the “mysterious deaths” of former cadres of the  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who had undergone rehabilitation  under the supervision of the army after the end of the war. Some Tamil  politicians have attributed these deaths to some kind of treatment given  to former LTTE cadres during their rehabilitation.  &nb

Jo’s Sc victory negated by failure to thwart OMP Bill

It appeared to be a gain for the Joint opposition or the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) faction loyal to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, when the Supreme Court declared the process of Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill a nullity. This was done in answer to a petition against the Bill by MP Sisiria Jayakodi.   

Lakshman Kadirgamar: Statesman and Patriot

It was on August 12, 2005 that Lakshman Kadirgamar was assisinated by a LTTE sniper from the house of an unsuspecting neighbour. LK, as he was affectionately referred to by us, was without doubt the best Foreign Minister we ever had.   

A judge with a track record

The sudden death of the former Supreme Court Judge Sarath De Abrew has raised much speculation. Judge Abrew had a notorious history with allegations of threatening his own police guards at gun point, assaulting and abusing house aides, blocking entrance to the houses of his neighbours and at one point attacking one of his colleagues, an Appeal Court jugde at an Indian airport.