Benevolent dictatorship and limited democracy are keys to a developed nation - Nishantha Sri W

A strongman in the modern nationalist movement in Sri Lanka and JHU National organiser Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe has been behind the scene campaigner for the cause for nearly two decades. He makes his electoral debut from the Colombo district under the UPFA banner this time.

Medium of Instruction, Quality of Education and National Integration

Even since the two native languages were made the medium of instruction in schools and universities, successive generations of Sri Lankans have had the choice of either remaining almost totally monolingual for the rest of their lives or making a gradual transition to bilingualism over an extended period of time.

It’s do or die for our harassed heroes - Editorial

The Sri Lanka cricket team left for Bangladesh in the early hours of yesterday to play in the ICC World T20 where they will be one of the favourites to lift the title. The team had a dream preparation and was on top of the world as they left for the tournament.

TNA’s Call For An International Probe Into abuses by “Both Sides”

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) regarded as the premier political configuration of the Sri Lankan Tamils issued a public statement last week after “careful consideration of the draft resolution........

Has democracy gone missing in Sri Lanka?

A front page news item by Sandun Jayasekera in today’s Daily Mirror states that the UPFA wants to change election laws but on reading the report it turns out that the intention of the petitioners.......

Editorial - The death of a drug mafia?

After many years of delays, dillydallying and mysterious disappearances of draft legislation or gazette notifications, the government now appears to have launched an all-out war on.....

Indian polls: Congress outlives its use

India’s Congress Party appears to have outlived its use as Mahatma Gandhi once said. It was formed largely to end the British colonialism and for swaraj or self-government. Established in 1885, it was the pivot of the Indian Independence Movement before it became the premier political party that has...........

The immigration debate can be extremely misleading 

The big immigration debate is often the big obscurantism debate. The wool is pulled over our eyes and even for the best informed obtaining clarity is not so easily done. The vested interests in continued immigration are enormous - first and foremost for the migrants themselves who are seeking an......

Kidneys: Our farmers on their knees - Editorial

As we marked World Kidney Day yesterday, it was of special if not deadly interest to Sri Lanka because of the kidney disease epidemic in the North Central Province mainly and now spreading to other areas. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in a practical and effective move, coinciding with the event ordered that the ...........

US intensifies lobbying in Geneva

As the vote on the resolution on Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is nearing, the concerned parties have intensified   their lobbying sprees. The draft resolution, calling for an international inquiry into allegations of human rights violations and accountability issues during the ......

Today is World Kidney Day : Chronic Kidney Disease Global and Sri Lankan Perspectives

Dr. Shanthi Mendis, Director Department of Management of Non-Communicable Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva Kidney disease is emerging in different parts of the world as a public health problem.

Luka Alagiyawanna unveils ‘From This Point Forward’ A powerful graphic reflecting several emotions

On Sunday night, the ninth of March, a group of young people were busy with pots of home-made glue along the Marine Drive at Bambalapitiya. A few passing vehicles slowed out of curiosity, but no one could have guessed at that point that a photography exhibition of a unique kind was taking shape there under....

Will SL survive the harsh tides rolling in from the ‘Great West’

Sri Lanka is taking a robust stance against allegations of human rights violations levelled against it at the on-going sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva and the man who has the unenviable task of leading that effort is External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris.

Choose the milky way - Editorial

With Buddhist monks and animal rights groups vowing to intensify their campaign for a ban on cattle slaughter before the celebration of Buddhist revivalist Anagarika Dharmapala’s 150th birth anniversary in September, Denmark has set a poser to Sri Lanka and the world on the precept of respecting animal rights and.......

I am a success because I am single - Jayantha de Silva ....

There are many politicians who have a history of having been in the political scene for years. Jayantha de Silva, a candidate representing the United National Party (UNP) said in a discussion with the Daily Mirror that he had been serving the people for almost five decades, and even knew their heartbeat.

UNDER SIEGE Sri Lanka in Geneva, March 2014

Po­lit­i­cal cor­rect­ness or the fear of it makes Sri Lan­kan com­men­ta­tors on the draft res­o­lu­tion on Sri Lan­ka as well as the calls for an in­ter­na­tion­al in­qui­ry at the 25th ses­sion of the UN Hu­man Rights Coun­cil in Gen­e­va blame the Gov­ern­ment, the West (‘im­pe­ri­al­ism’) or the Tam­il di&sh

Reliving the Ramayana

Tamil liberals who were expecting strong action against the Mahinda regime at the Geneva Human Rights Commission sessions are now disappointed. Some of them have now turned towards the Lankan society and started analysing the roles played by the Sinhala politicians and diplomats.

Patiently we waited, now the remedy - Editorial

After some eight years of delays which were deliberate or due to lethargy, excuses or broken promises and a mysterious disappearance of the draft, legislation for the implementation of Prof. Senake Bibile’s national medicinal drugs policy was on Monday personally handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa........

Path to Freedom Post Geneva

Finally, the US government distributed its draft resolution on Sri Lanka, based on UNHRC High Commissioner Navanethem Pillay’s country report which had been published on February 24, 2014.

What REALLY happened at the Gampaha Bandaranaike National School?

“The school ground was a total battlefield last Monday,” Jayantha Navarathne, a parent who was at the Gampaha Bandaranaike National School last Monday (3) says, recalling the series of unfortunate events that occurred......

EMPOWERING WOMEN WILL END HUNGER

Every year, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) provides more than eleven million schoolgirls with food to help keep them in education, and around three million vulnerable women with special nutritional support.....

Powerful messages through short films

The European short films shown at the German Cultural Institute on recently were a real eye opener to the possibilities of this medium. Unfortunately, in a country where the huge expense and trouble of making features is supposed to have oriented many aspiring film makers to the short film medium....

Electoral reforms a dire need in Sri Lanka

The voters are getting ready to vote at the Western Province and Southern Province elections on 29 March 2014. The two provinces consist of substantial voter strength in the island. Compared to other provinces they too are more important politically and economically earning and spending the.....

Editorial - Need for a strategic stance at UNHRC

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has rejected the US-sponsored draft resolution on Sri Lanka submitted to the UN Human Rights Commission and said the vote on the resolution later this month would be of no.....

Election laws should be revised - Prasanna Ranathunga.....

The postal voting for the Western and Southern Provinces will start in a few days. The election field is tensed and the rush is escalating day by day.

Increasing Inequality, Social Justice and Socio-Political Stability

Equality and equal opportunities were two ideas that dominated the national political discourse in this country even before Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule in 1948. 

Let officials take a clue from cricketers - Editorial

It was good news for Sri Lankan sports with victory finally achieved on Saturday after a prolonged period of heartbreak.

Inspiring change around the world

The world celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD) on the 8th of March every year. It assesses social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing world attention on areas requiring further.......

Women who made an impact

In 1975, the United Nations declared March 8 as International Women’s Day and this year is the 39th Anniversary of this very special day for women the world over. It is undoubtedly the ideal time.......

Editorial - Look at better ways to consolidate

The Government these days is trying to consolidate the country’s banking and financial sector. The Central Bank has released a master plan for this with very tight timelimits. Consolidation as far as the......