A word of warning from pensioners

His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa has continued to show his highly sensitive concerns towards the plight of the government pensioners. This is quite clear from the following statements that he has made over the years (the list is not exhaustive):

Expecting objectivity from Pillay was a miscalculation

I am not, and never was an admirer/supporter of the synthetic `doctor’ Mervyn Silva and never thought the occasion would ever arise for me to say a good word about him or any of his acts, however, that occasion has now arisen.

Fascist - style Reign of the matrix

The HR Commissioner spoke about an authoritarian state developing in this country; there is a debate as to what she meant by that. Did she mean a developing military dictatorship or something else?

A Great Buddhist Missionary of Our Times

A human being destined to be a great Buddhist missionary was born on December 29, 1928, in the small village of Kurunegoda, in the Kegalle district, Sri Lanka. At the age of 13 he was ordained into a religion that taught “there is a cause for everything that has ever come into existence or will come into existence and must cease to exist when the cause ceases to be.” That religion is Buddhism and that great human being is the chief in

Sanctuaries threatened by human invasion

Most varieties of wild life living in the sanctuaries located in the N.C.P. and in the Yala areas in the deep south are annually subjected to severe drought and also confronted with other issues caused by the inhabitation of these areas by humans. Wilpattu has over 40 identified water holes / sources which run dry annually and elephants have no alternative but to enter villages in search of food and water causing much damage. This may also be the

Let the dogs get married!

From the time the Police Kennels came into existence over seventy-five years ago, the Kennels Division of the Police has been able to put on shows highlighting the proficiency of trained dogs. These shows have not only educated the public on the capabilities of dogs in the all important police functions of criminal investigation, narcotics control and public order but also provided rare feats of entertainment such as climbing walls, jumping over

Editorial - Milkgate opens doors for our dairy farmers

The controversy, conflicting claims and confusion over the Milkgate crisis is being sorted out in the best interests of the people of Sri Lanka.

Northern Provincial Council Elections 2013 Commonwealth Observers only to observe

Salma Yusuf in conversation with Amitav Banerji, Director of Political Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat

Technocracy and Bureaucracy Engineers to inspire, engage and grow

It is indeed a matter of honour and privilege for me to be here this morning, addressing you at this prestigious regional gathering of Engineers – the 2nd IET South Asian Community Volunteers Conference.

A lasting monument of happy children throughout the world Beginning of the Montessori Method of Earl

Maria Montessori is as controversial a figure in Education today, as she was a century ago. Heralded as the century’s leading advocate for early childhood education, her research and her discoveries regarding the child, helped change the course of Education.

World’s press protests against destruction of Guardian newspaper hard drives and apparent decline in

The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors’ Forum have protested to Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom against the actions of government officials that led to the destruction of computer hard drives belonging to the Guardian newspaper last month.

Children’s theatre in Sri Lanka still has a long way to go

Ground breaking filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock once said that “drama is life with the dull parts left out.”  Defining ‘drama’ is certainly not an easy task though it is an interesting topic.

A tribute to Dr Sivapiragasam Sriharan

The first anniversary of Dr Sriharan’s death has come and gone. Tributes from a range of medical colleagues, friends and others whose lives he has touched have been collected in a book that stands testimony to his unique contribution in Sri Lanka and the US.

Kindergarten discipline for naughty cops - Editorial

A high ranking police officer has taken to task, an entire police station in the east for bribe-taking by one officer in the particular station.  It has been reported that the top officer had made all the officers kneel down for about half an hour until two of them had fallen faint.

Formation of Military Cyber-Intel Command Headquarters for Combating Illegal Cyber Movements against

Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Former Commander of the Army, now Chief of Defence Staff  during a Conference on Cyber Warfare – 2011, organised by the Computer Science and Engineering Department.........

Magic tricks - too good to be described in words

Magic is a wonderful thing. When something we experience is too good to be described in words, we call it magic – thus, music is magic, love is magic, and so forth. I haven’t seen a live magic show in many years, but the fascination remains. My mind goes back to the first ever magic show I saw, as a schoolboy.

Proliferation of Social Issues and Human Suffering

Rapid proliferation of Social Issues in Sri Lanka in recent years is an unmistakable fact. Crime, sexual abuse, corruption, breakup of family, domestic violence, suicide, mental illness, conflict, violence, poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, etc have emerged as major social issues leading to immense human suffering.

Editorial - Mathata thitha: cheers or jeers?  

For several years the Rajapaksa regime appears to have been politically intoxicated with its ‘Mathata thitha’ campaign, claiming or boasting that it has significantly reduced the number of people who are abusing or addicted to tobacco, alcohol or narcotics.

SAUMIAMOORTHY THONDAMAN THE PATRIARCH OF PLANTATION TAMILS

The birth centenary of Saumiamoorthy (spelled sometimes as Saumyamoorthy or Saumiyamoorthy)Thondaman was on August 30th.Thondaman was the undisputed “Thalaiver”(leader ) of Sri Lanka’s predominantly Indian Tamil plantation proletariat  for several decades.

The ‘SHISHYATHWAYA’ EXAMINATION CHALLENGES FACED BY YOUNG MINDS

 About a week ago over 360,000 children applied for admission to the grade 5 scholarship exam, popularly known as the ‘Shishyathwaya’.

The Sri Dalada Perahera of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte

An event of great cultural and historical significance takes place annually in the hill capital of Sri Lanka in the month of Esala, followed by several such events throughout the country - one of which is the historic Sri Dalada Perahera of

The Church of Our Lady of Matara celebrates the annual feast

“She came again, over the waves… Back to her people in Matara,” unchaperoned The Church dedicated to Our Lady of Matara celebrates its annual feast on

The presstitution of democracy - Editorial

As we move into September, closer to the provincial elections on September 21 and the Budget in November, the people need to reflect deeply on the major issues facing the country instead of being distracted by emotional conflicts which politicians often bring up.

Obama’s Syrian imbroglio

President Barack Obama let the chickens out of the cage when he foolishly pronounced a couple of...

Editorial : The best medicine for the people

With more than five million Sri Lankans known to be suffering from diabetes and a staggering 15% of them...

Syria Obama’s ‘limited’ attack may set Middle East on fire

The intention is evident and the plan of action is all too familiar. The aggressor, taking cover...

Body po­lit­ic awaits vot­ers’ cru­cial mes­sage from Jaff­na

For Pe­ter Yo­hes­wari (55), a wom­an from Ki­li­noch­chi, the post-war ben­e­fits are visi­ble in the form...

Objective peace in conflict resolution

A presentation was delivered at a seminar held at Marga Institute, Centre for Development Studies, on August 30, on the topic ‘Achieving Just Peace’. Following are some excerpts from that presentation.

SL youth delegates to UN will echo voice of the generation

Filled with youthful enthusiasm and passion, they are eager to make a positive change in the world as they prepare to leave their mark at the United Nations General Assembly.

‘torch of awareness’ for voters

A delegation of the Friday Forum met with Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya recently with a view to initiating a constructive exchange of views on measures taken by him to ensure free and fair provincial elections.