the Stark reality of statutory rape

Seat­ed on a bench in the far end of one of the busy hos­pi­tal cor­ri­dors, Ka­su­ni* seems to be ea­ger­ly await­ing some­one’s ar­riv­al as she nurses her two-week old in­fant. To a by­stand­er it would have seemed as if the.....

Political bickering amidst Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk

The Working Committee members of the United National Party (UNP) gathered at the party headquarters, Sirikotha’ on Monday. Top on the agenda of the meeting was the item to...

Can Karu usher victory for UNP?

Wittingly or unwittingly Karu Jayasuriya has walked into a storm of controversy within the United National Party (UNP) where he was appointed as head of the newly carved ‘Leadership Council’ in a bid to resolve the festering internal crisis in the party.

Mother Lanka, what is happening to thee? - Editorial

In the aftermath of the horrible 30-year war, Sri Lanka appears to be plunging deeper into a post-conflict traumatic syndrome which has been aggravated by a breakdown in the rule of law and the serious damage caused to the independence of the judicial service and the police.

AUSTRALIA’S VICTORY OVER THE PUFF THAT KILLS

Well, the Australians failed - almost. The tobacco industry won - almost. Australians became unable to protect their kids - almost.

Impressive expressways Are we really on the road to development?

We now have another highway, and a much-needed one, leading to the Katunayake International Airport. It is a symbol of the country’s ambitious development plans.

Development must include human welfare

President Mahinda Rajapaka recently said people should be on the alert, as various elements were attempting to shut down industries and cripple the economy.

Editorial-The ghosts in the Bibile mystery

With anarchy in the medicinal drugs market and with physicians, patients and pharmacies confused as to which drug is the safest,

CHOGM Film Festival

When considering films, this definition about `the image` made by the groundbreaking filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky is simply remarkable. Films are a wide subject:

Plans to acquire limited blue water capability Our future lies in the Ocean

Daily Mirror spoke to Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage on a wide range of issues including those pertaining to Indian fishermen and illegal immigrants.

Free education Our only remaining pride and hope

When I read the editorial of the Daily Mirror on Oct. 14, 2013, I was inspired to add some more on the same lines. The editor rightly points out the consequences of private medical practice and its impact on the state health sector

Inappropriate punishment for an inappropriate dress - Editorial

Occasionally, there have been reports about teachers of government schools treating students inhumanely, in the guise of or in the name of punishment for misdeeds or misbehavior.

Accountability

The term ‘Accountability’ is one which we have heard often, indeed too often from interfering foreigners and NGOs...

The state, public policy and endemic corruption

A recent report published in an English daily had pointed out that education has become the most corrupt sector...

Rathupaswala: The river of tears

Thousands of families in the village of Rathupaswala are still facing a major crisis over their basic and life-saving need of...

What is Our Vision of Development?

This article is the first of a two-part series on the post-2015 and the post-Millennium Development Goals (MDG) processes. Following the Rio+20 Summit in June 2012 (also known as the UN Conference on Sustainable Development), the....

How would we define a ‘Missionary’?

Fear of missionaries is as old as fear of ghosts and ghouls. Some would gladly equate missionaries with the latter. I have no special regard for either religion or missionaries.

knowledge on broadcasting laws; need of the hour

In a pioneering endeavour to draw attention to the legal issues concerning the media industry, Chanakya Jayadeva on Thursday launched his book ‘Entertainment and Broadcast Law for Sri Lanka’, the first ever book to be published on the subject in Sri Lanka.

Govt. cannot gamble with our country - Editorial

With the casino issue now suspended and put under the gambling table till the Commonwealth Summit is held, most independent political analysts believe the Rajapaksa regime will....

Foiling drug smugglers: An unenviable task for Customs

A bag with unusual rivets was the only one still moving on the conveyor belt at the Katunayake Airport for nearly two hours. A customs officer who was on duty at the arrival lounge noticed the suspicious bag and removed it to the room occupied by the customs duty officer.

CHINA SRI LANKA RELATIONS IN REVIEW

On 24th October 2013, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open the renovated Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH). The renovations were sponsored by China covering a cost of nearly two billion Sri Lankan Rupees.

The Great European Refugee Crisis

Europeans really shouldn’t be worrying about the number of refugees trying to gatecrash Europe by travelling in rickety boats across the Mediterranean. The recent tragedies have the effect of inflating in our minds the numbers. In truth the numbers are not overwhelming.

A ‘Hidden Agenda’ behind the revival of halal protests - Editorial

Bodu Bala Sena recently told media that their priority is Halal. This is quite a statement, one would say, given the issues the country is currently afflicted with. The ever- increasing cost of living, the law and order which has continued to....

A spread of political butter and a squash of orange

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) relies heavily on the government of India to push for a further power devolution arrangement in Sri Lanka, building upon the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.  The TNA has been in constant touch with the leaders of the Congress who call the shots in New Delhi.

Childhood robbed

During the second commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child in Sri Lanka, Ragama Medical Faculty Professor Aswini Fernando revealed that according to the latest research statistics in year 2012 alone, 3779 child abuse cases had been reported in the country.

A peek into Cuckoo Land

It is a sad facet of our public administrative system that most bureaucrats maintain a deafening silence when any member of the public sends them a letter of inquiry or complaint.

Cameron seeking to ease domestic political pressure

While the decibel level of the lobby against Sri Lanka hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) rose appreciably this week, British Prime Minister David Cameron waded into the controversy, even though he has chosen not to heed the ‘boycott CHOGM’ call.

The shocking truth about the economy - Editorial

As the people of Sri Lanka are brought into a revival of patriotism and pride in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, a widely respected economist in a centre page interview in the Daily Mirror yesterday warned that the country was precariously on a....

Editorial - Corruption and Vulgar Luxuries

Like a political cancer, corruption and hypocrisy appear to be afflicting many areas of society ranging from party politics to business and sport, the latest scandal in the widely popular field of cricket is the huge debt of some 3.2 billion rupees

‘Same old ways will be disastrous for govt.’

The Commonwealth Summit is the biggest gamble of the President and his government, locally and internationally.  By pleading with the Royal Palace and the Commonwealth Secretariat, the government has managed to make sure that the Colombo Summit goes ahead as planned.