A hyped up opposition and a weakening government!

To the Opposition - It is with a certain sense of humour that I have been patiently watching your remarks before the media in recent days, as well as in Parliament, where collectively you have been calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya over the mess up in the Grade Six English Language module.

When AI Can Undress You Without Consent: A Wake-Up Call for Sri Lanka

AI image generation promised creativity, but it has also revealed alarming risks, including a growing “bikini trend.” On platforms powered by generative AI, a simple prompt or a tweet can now instantly turn ordinary photos into sexualized images or videos, without the subject’s knowledge or consent.

Protection of the state from terrorism act; a critique of the current proposal

The Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979, (PTA), has been vigorously assailed for 45 years as the anchor of a legislative regime which is destructive of basic political and civil rights.

Proposed road to promote tourism threatens protected knuckles forest

The Knuckles Forest is a unique forest ecosystem in Sri Lanka, which was declared as a conservation forest by the Department of Forest Conservation through Extraordinary Gazette No. 1130/22 dated 05.05.2000. It is also the first conservation forest in the country. In addition, under the National Environmental Act No. 47 of 1980, the Knuckles area was designated as an environmental protection area through Extraordinary Gazette No. 1507/09 dated 23

India’s AI Surge: A Wake-Up Call For Sri Lanka

While Western headlines remain transfixed by Silicon Valley’s latest iterations, a more profound tectonic shift is accelerating in New Delhi. India is no longer merely a consumer of global technology; it is aggressively architecting “Sovereign AI”, a domestic brain powered by 38,000 GPUs and vast local datasets. For Sri Lanka, the upcoming India AI Impact Summit represents a critical junction.

Hydrology expert issues warning: Poor land-use planning, high population density can cause major catastrophes

Sri Lanka was not ready for Cyclone Ditwah, both in terms of the intensity of rainfall and winds, and also in terms of infrastructure. Even though Sri Lanka discussed about incorporating disaster-resilient infrastructure post-Tsunami, many of these discussions remained in black and white.

Douglas Devananda who fought with the Sri Lankan Army against the LTTE

Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Chief and Secretary-General, Douglas Devananda became the latest political leader to be arrested in Sri Lanka.

Aranayaka landslide victims have no hopes of returning home

Landslides are not a new phenomenon for people in Aranayaka, a town in Kegalle District. In 2016, following the Samasara Kanda landslide, at least a 100 people succumbed to injuries while over 150,000 people were impacted. But this time, as many as 68 landslides have been triggered in this district since the Lower Kadugannawa incident, displacing many people and forcing them to look for alternative places to settle.

Why the Global Digital Rights Conversation Matters for Sri Lanka: A Sri Lankan in a Global Community of Digital Defenders

The presence of Sri Lankan digital rights practitioners in global forums is not symbolic; it is strategic and essential. Sri Lanka stands at a critical intersection: rapid digital transformation clashing with political sensitivities, misinformation, and a vulnerable civil society.

Sri Lanka After Cyclone Ditwah: The Full Scale of the Disaster in Numbers

Cyclone Ditwah left Sri Lanka facing a national disaster of extraordinary scale. The numbers tell the story of a country confronting one of its most severe crises in recent memory.

Presidential authority in times of emergency: A contemporary appraisal

The following is a keynote address delivered by Prof. G. L. Peiris at the International Research Conference of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo held on December 12, 2025.

How JR Amended his Constitution to Enable a Tamil MP Join The UNP Govt

Chelliah Rajadurai, a veteran politician of Sri Lanka -- perhaps the oldest among former Parliamentarians -- passed away on December 7, 2025 at the age of 98. Rajadurai hailing from Batticaloa was a colourful personality who served as an MP, Mayor, Cabinet minister and High Commissioner in an eventful political career.

Disaster geopolitics in Ditwah’s wake

Just as Canada’s social justice activist and writer Naomi Klein, in her highly celebrated book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, explains the relations between disasters—manmade or natural—and vulgar capitalism driven by inhumane greed, so too can we see an inviting link between disasters and geopolitics. In her 2007 book, she argues that disasters and wars are like honeypots for capitalist bees—or flies.

Cyclone Ditwah another test case of Indo-Pacific cooperation

As Cyclone Ditwah batters Sri Lanka, international aid has surged from India, the United States, Pakistan, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and other nations. The crisis underscores the island’s strategic role in the Indo-Pacific, where disaster response increasingly intersects with geopolitics and climate resilience efforts

A cyclone that left testing our President!

When you and your government won the elections last year, both local and international circles were stunned by the sheer magnitude of the victory. A map of Sri Lanka painted almost entirely in the NPP’s maroon colour sent a clear message from the people - they were exhausted by a corrupt system that enriched those in power while draining taxpayers to their last rupee.

Megoda-Kolonnawa residents struggle to revive lives after devastating floods

The messy aftermath of the floods that occurred in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah is evident for anyone who visits Megoda-Kolonnawa. In fact it is one of the worst flood-prone areas in Colombo as it is a low-lying settlement along the Kelani River basin.

Understanding the flood aftermath: What Sri Lankans should be aware of now

Sri Lanka is facing a phase of the disaster where danger arrives quietly — often without rain. As families attempt to move or return home, new, hidden risks are emerging. This is the stage where awareness can save lives.

The hidden crisis How floods, slides threaten health of Sri Lanka’s elderly

When Cyclone Ditwah swept across Sri Lanka in late November 2025, the force of nature felt almost unreal. Hundreds of people died, thousands remain unaccounted for, and more than 147,000 were pushed from the places they once called home.

Will Sri Lanka ever learn?

The era of global warming, no country is immune from extreme climate events such as cyclones, floods, or heatwaves. Yet nations with stronger disaster-preparedness systems consistently mitigate damage and reduce death tolls. The global lesson is clear: countries must learn from past catastrophes and adapt their response mechanisms accordingly.

Don’t blame Ditwah—blame our environmental sins

It goes without saying that Sri Lanka is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. In recent decades, the country has been regularly lashed by extreme weather conditions in the form of either prolonged droughts or relentless rains.

Tilvin Silva’s Encounter with the Tamil Diaspora in London Protests by a few sections had no impact

From Easter Sunday to Climatic catastrophe: The Deadly Symmetry of Inaction in Sri Lanka

The recent climatic disaster that ravaged Sri Lanka, causing immense human suffering and resource crises, has tragically exposed a familiar and dangerous pattern of negligence, incompetence, and failure of the government within the corridors of power. This is not merely a natural calamity but a devastating echo of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, a man-made disaster enabled by a systemic failure to act on ample and timely intelligence. The fundame

Resisting unplanned development Residents, experts continue fight to save Mannar Island

People of Mannar claim that they have been bearing the brunt of unplanned development in the guise of renewable energy.

GIJC 2025 A global gathering for the future of investigative journalism

The 14th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC) co-hosted by the Global Investigative Journalism Network and Malaysiakini kicked off at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre with the participation of over 1500 attendees from 135 countries.

Muddy mess at Maligawatte Flats

During a recent visit to a close friend of mine residing in Block B47, adjacent to Block E1 of the Maligawatte Flats, Jayantha Weerasekera Mawatha, I observed a concerning situation behind the Maligawatte Public Market (near the Ruby Theatre). A large quantity of garbage has remained uncollected for an extended period. This is not only an eyesore, but also a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes and other health hazards.

Sri Lanka’s interest-rate trap

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has inexplicably maintained high interest rates in a deflationary environment, which increases debt-service costs and suppresses economic activity. It must change course now, because austerity in the name of fiscal sustainability is self-defeating if it destroys the conditions for growth.

Energizing China: Prosperity, Well-being, and illumination

A tectonic shift in global energy has been confirmed as China’s power consumption shattered all records in July 2025, exceeding one trillion kilowatt-hours for the first time. This

“Sri Lanka has enormous promise, but effective tourism promotion requires both investment and continuous effort” - Zubin Karkaria, Founder & CEO, VFS Global Group

Over a year after the e-visa system handled by the consortium—comprising IVS-GBS as the primary partner and VFS Global as the technical partner—was suspended in Sri Lanka, Daily Mirror Editor-in-Chief Jamila Husain interviewed Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VFS Global Group,

Rapidly changing lifestyles cause sleep issues in Sri Lanka

Rapidly changing lifestyles, new work compulsions, soaring career and social ambitions and even daily chores like getting up early to send children to school, are depriving people of the required period of sleep in developed as well as developing countries, Sri Lanka included.

Sri Lanka’s greatest threat to tourism is us!

Last week, Sri Lanka went viral and sadly, for all the wrong reasons. A friend sent me a video that was spreading rapidly on Instagram. It showed a female tourist driving a tuk-tuk in the Arugam Bay area, filming herself, most likely for TikTok. Minutes into her ride, she said she was being followed by a local man on a motorbike. When she pulled over, he stopped too and walked right up to her while the camera was still rolling.