Devolution is not about decentralization

The TNA and the Government need to be congratulated -- and also thanked -- for setting out a time-table for further negotiations for finding a political solution to the ethnic issue. Accordingly, they will be talking four times in two weeks in December, and are expected to take up specific and substantive issues, aimed at ending the impasse of the past decades in general and the post-war period, otherwise.

Sex education and Sri Lankan women

We live in a harsh world full of realities few are willing to face.  Sex crimes are the norm but sex is a taboo topic in almost every circle of society.

At what cost glaring errors of officials?

The 300 MW Norochcholai Power Plant has broken down again. Since the commissioning of this plant, this has been subject to frequent breakdown, fires, trippings etc.

Quotes of the Week

This move will drastically reduce the conflicting report on the causalities Yasushi Akashi, Japanese Peace Envoy to SL, welcoming the move for a census of the North

Will the judiciary crack under pressure?

A person whose rights were either violated or had an unjust verdict pronounced against him, had the right to go before the international political and Human rights commission to seek justice. This right was denied by a former chief justice. Presently when the government is investigating the Chief Justice’s past actions he is now seeking international justice. By his own actions where he took away one’s right to justice he has now beco

The way forward for post-conflict Sri Lanka

‘Reconciliation: The way forward for post conflict Sri Lanka’ was a forum held at the Lakshman Kadiragamar Institute where eminent speakers spoke on various aspects of reconciliation  under their areas of specialty. The day’s programme was divided into sessions and the first session was chaired by terrorism expert Prof. Rohan Gunaratna head of ICPVTR, Singapore. He asked his two panelists Former Attorney General Mohan Pei

‘Ehi Passiko’ - Come, live the ‘moment’

Man’s longing to silence his mental chatter and create a space to live the ‘moment’ has seen him embarking on many journeys for centuries, if not millennia.

The End of Kyoto: What next?

The only significant milestone in the 20 years-long UN Climate Change negotiations was the Kyoto Protocol (KP) signed in 1997. The first commitment period of the KP for Green House Emissions reduction is coming to an end by the end of 2012 (next year). The steps relating to the post Kyoto commitment period, need to be discussed and finalized at the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - 17th Conference of Parties (UNFCCC

The sanctions puzzle

The Arab League is getting decisive. Its move to penalise Damascus with stringent sanctions that would widely go on to have a public impact is likely to be played to the gallery by the Baath regime. To this day, Syria is unrelenting and so is its quasi-civilian President Bashar Al Assad dispensation. The attempt on the part of Assad to portray Arab League sanctions as one intended to favour Israel for Syria’s principled stance against the

The Chevening Scholarship

For nearly three decades, the UK Government’s most prestigious funding programme for international postgraduate students – the Chevening Scholarship Scheme – has provided over 30,000 scholarships for potential future leaders from around the world. In Sri Lanka and the Maldives, some 100 scholars have been recipients of this funding scheme since its launch in 1984.

Gender Based violence harms everyone

Suffrage, Education, Economic independence and “the right to choose” are a few of the civil liberties granted to women to empower them and make them equal partners in the world. However despite the leaps and bounds of progress by the feminist movement, women still suffer violence.

your voice-“We do not want to live like the displaced again”

Historically and ethnically the North-East has always been part of a pan-Tamil state that included Tamil Nadu but was a separate part of India (Hindustan). The rise of Hindu fundamentalism is a corrupting influence on the Hindu diaspora wolrd-wide. Hopefully, the North-East provinces will seek to maintain their own identity as Sri Lankan Tamils and not be fooled into becoming a part of this resurgent Hindu nationalism world-wide that is just brow

Chaos in parliament

The parliamentary complex  was bustling with activity last Monday.  Around 2.00 pm, President Mahinda Rajapaksa stepped into the chamber of the House with an undisturbed look on his face. His arrival in the House was marked by a thundering applause from the ruling party members. Media personnel, public servants and the general public were eagerly waiting for the President to announce the budgetary proposals for the next year. The time t

“We do not want to live like the displaced again.”

By Manouri Muttetuwegama The courage, determination and enterprise shown by this civilian population forcibly displaced by the LTTE dictate its potent evidence of the vitality and cohesion of that community which will make them a power for good where ever they are.

In on the ground floor

The near simultaneous announcements by the US that secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Myanmar next month and by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi that she will contest in an upcoming by-election have altered the geopolitical dynamic dramatically. Clinton will be the first high-ranking US diplomat to set foot in Myanmar in over 50 years, marking a turnaround in US foreign policy that until recently was based on isolating the Southea

COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR “GREAT HEROES’ DAY” SHOWDOWN

The count down has begun for “Great Heroes Day” (GHD) on November 27 with rival factions of the overseas Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) competing with each other to commemorate the event in western countries where  substantial concentrations of Sri Lankan Tamils are prevalent.

The invisible handcuffs

The restrictions placed on the media are intangible; the forces at play have been successful in instilling a mindset in the press. Untraceable actions and mild messages, loaded with subtext have been dispensed so strategically thssat the root causes of fear cannot be traced. The blocking of these websites and the call for registration of websites that contain information pertaining to the country is one such intangible move.

Plots and pitfalls on road to Damascus

Yet another people uprising in the Arab world is in the throes of being hijacked by western powers with neocolonialist agendas and geo-strategic objectives.

2012 Budget: Pros and cons as perceived

The overall budget does not speak of increasing the domestic production or anything to that effect. There isn’t an initiative to integrate the public into it. This budget looks neo liberalistic in its approach which is propelled into its agenda. The most staggering point is that a huge debt burden is transferred to the public. Therefore it is fair to state that this is a debt ridden budget. Before the budget the prices of fuel increased and

2012 Electricity Tariff: The challenges ahead

The electricity tariff is to be revised twice a year. This is on the 1st of January and the 1st of July each year.  Accordingly there was a tariff revision made on Jan 1 2011. There was no adjustment made on  July 1 this year but a tariff revision will be made on   January 1 2012 and studies relating to the revision are currently under way.

Civil indifference and ridiculous claims

Anna Hazare claims 99.5% of voters in Rae Bareli have told his survey team they will not re-elect Sonia Gandhi, Congress president, should she not support the Jan Lokpal Bill. The claim is ridiculous. So why has Hazare made it? Has he concluded, as some others have, that the next election will be monochromatic and driven solely by sentiment for an overweening law that could curb corruption?

DEBT WOES IN THE WEST ENDANGERS ASIA’S GROWTH IN 2012

By Dinesh Weerakkody The European sovereign debt crisis for the second time in a decade has created economic turmoil for the world economy. While the European Union (EU) economies struggle to design new austerity measures to meet EU demands, the economic contagion continues to spread outside the Eurozone. However, contrary to the past the source of crisis is from outside the Asian region.

Bridging the information gap for the visually impaired

The visually impaired often go unnoticed as society fails to recognise their needs. Often people fail to identify that there is a significant gap in services provided for them. As they are alienated from society the visually impaired are pushed further into darkness. Wijeya Newspapers Ltd, last week,  took a step towards making a difference in the lives of these individuals, with the launch of ‘Wijeya Braille’ Sri Lanka’s f

Your Voice - The Norwegian ‘Lessons Learnt’ Exercise: A futile endeavour?..........

I entirely agree with Minister Rambukwella's assessment of the Norwegian "farce" . I am amazed at Bernard Goonetilleke's statement appeasing the Norwegian "facilitators" - they certainly facilitated the LTTE !. The Norwegians dealt with the LTTE and the then PM, Ranil Wickremesinghe and excluded the then President, Mrs Kumaratunga and signed the infamous CFA - I call it the traitorous CFA signed by Ranil Wickremasinghe

Pieces of pawns, all

It is not always that Governments have the courage to come out openly with assessments of their involvement in third-nation negotiations as Norway has done since. Not only did the Norwegian Government hand over the assessment of one’s role in the Sri Lanka peace process to an ‘outsider agency’, it has also kept the word on publicising the ‘report’, even though the study was behind the original deadline.

What’s next Mr. President?

 As President Rajapaksa celebrates his 66th Birthday Daily Mirror asked people to voice their opinion on the way forward, to the fifth Executive President of Sri Lanka

War games over Iran: Rhetoric and realities

In the realm of international relations, Games Theory refers two speeding cars on a collision course. One must swerve. Otherwise both drivers will die. As they started the game they were determined not to swerve.

Your Voice -

For some reason best known to the medical fraternity and the tobacco industry the addiction element to cigarettes and alcohol has been underplayed for a considerably long period.

The Norwegian ‘Lessons Learnt’ Exercise: A futile endeavour?

As far as the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration is concerned, the role of Norway was not just a total failure but the Norwegians were also responsible for aggravating the situation.

The jirga fuss

Politicians and tribal leaders in Afghanistan have a crucial mandate to deliver. The forthcoming ‘Loya Jirga’ (Grand Assembly), which is likely to comprise of more than 2,000 tribal elders, will be poised with a strategic equation.