The local government election debate: Who is in a spot ?

First, President Sirsena announced he would give leadership to the SLFP at the next election to ensure its victory. It meant the UNP and the SLFP would be pitted against....

Sri Lanka – Classified as Developing Country too long? Why?

Nearly four decades ago,   prior to the commencement of economic reforms and trade liberalization,  the then Chinese rulers maintained policies,  that kept their economy very poor.....

Public transport: First step towards green schools - EDITORIAL

While we commend the national government’s evolution into Hi-Tech digital education, and equally important area is eco-education -- essentially to teach the children how to.....

I also have criticisms about basil rajapaksa: Namal

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, son of the former president responded to the many allegations thrown against the Rajapaksa regime.     

American psyche and emergence of Donald Trump

America is in an election year. The usual barbs, insults, arguments and counter-arguments thrown about by those who contend for nomination from each Party, Democratic and Republican, on political stage in the rural and urban areas as well as big cities in the United States are overshadowing the real issues and principles and policies of each candidate. Well, that is the nature of politics and that essentially is the nature of electioneering. Yet

Health Service: Government must deal with racketeers - EDITORIAL

With Sri Lanka’s Health sector still in crisis, the Daily Mirror has information about some shocking discoveries made by the National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA) which was appointed last year to implement Prof. Senaka Bibile’s essential medicines concepts and provide quality drugs at affordable prices.

Trainers to train young minds

Following the words of Dr. Maria Montessori, founder of the AMI method of educating children, Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre has produced hundreds of Montessori teachers who serve in Sri Lanka and the world around. For more than 70 years this hallowed institution has been silently moulding the minds of thousands of children who have now reached the highest positions and achievements in their lives. More importantly the Montessori

How Effective is the Domestic Violence Act?

For Anuja* (40), abuse and beatings were a part of her everyday life. For 22 years she stayed with the man she had fallen in love with and married, despite the verbal, physical and sexual abuse he inflicted on her. 

Dilemma over ‘Danno Budunge’

The recently concluded 68th Independence Day celebrations made headlines as the performance by the talented Sri Lankan-British soprano Kishani Jayasinghe was heavily criticized in certain television stations and some social media.

The agony of voting at elections

The Government and the Opposition compete to court unpopularity. Both are incapable of winning a wide spectrum of confidence or goodwill. Local Government elections,

A People in search of an identity - EDITORIAL

There was a time when the Sri Lankan Muslims were officially called Ceylon Moors in English and Lanka Marakkala or Lanka Yonaka in Sinhala. 

Thotalanga protesters and their struggle for shelter

After a huge commotion which aroused public interest, convincing the higher authorities to look into the matter, ‘Kajimawatte’ has returned back to normal.

On the trail of Navam Perehera

The Perahera in Buddhist culture is a ritual to invoke the blessings of the Triple Gems and the Gods. The Navam Maha Perehera is held every year on Navam Full Moon Poya Day to....

The Majestic Navam Perahera of Gangaramaya

It was transformed into a fully fledged Maha Viharaya with national and international recognition by Venerable Dewundara Jinaratana Nayake Thera, a pupil of.....

Thotalanga squatters and doctors of GMOA have something in common: Self interest

Last week residents of a large slum in Thotalanga blocked the Japan-Sri Lanka Friendship Bridge to protest against an alleged arbitrary order to vacate....

Buddhism disappeared from Tamil Nadu?

Tamizhagam, which means a land where Tamil is spoken and Sri Lanka, enjoyed very close ties for over 12 centuries. The present Tamil Nadu is much smaller than the....

Prospects for a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for Humanity

Today, our consumption of goods and services often has little to do with our actual contribution  to the production of such goods and services. The share of the labour force engaged in....

The fine art of economic diplomacy - EDITORIAL

President Maithripala Sirisena apparently having learnt  the fine art of economic diplomacy or diplomatic economics, returned to Sri Lanka yesterday with a planeload of economic and trade agreements with....

UN Rights Chief’s visit and limits of the US-led resolution’s diktat

While the Human Rights Council’s official position on Sri Lanka may not have changed, UN Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s interactions during his four-day visit to Sri Lanka reflected a certain change in tone and approach. This must mean something, seeing that he is the UN’s key Human Rights official. There seems to have been a shift in attitude which hitherto had been judgemental, making Sri Lanka feel imposed upon.

Wikileaks show how Big-pharma sabotaged Bibile policies - EDITORIAL

In the health sector, corruption could kill people. The Daily Mirror in its editorial on Wednesday highlighted a report by transparency International’s British branch. The report on corruption in the global healthcare and pharmaceutical sector showed the deadly extent to which corruption has spread like a cancer and was posing a danger to millions of people.

Kanhaiya Kumar and Kashmir :Is democracy dying in Modi’s India?

It is becoming increasingly evident that India is not keeping to its credentials as the world’s largest democracy with Prime Minister Narendra Modi turning a blind eye to the bigotry with which his ardent supporters deal with dissent. 

The defeated are not disqualified or unqualified

The validity of the appointment of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka to Parliament through the United...

An open letter to my dear Muslim brothers and sisters Buddhist-Muslim relationship could be warmer

Let me begin this letter with a short comparison of two stories that recently happened in two different...

NZ ready to help Sri Lanka Achieve its goals

It takes an incredible amount of grace, ambition and willingness to ask tough questions for a country...

The eviction of reason

They talked of high-handedness.  They spoke of illegality, the violation of human rights and decried ...

Eye-opener on eyesight - EDITORIAL

In the Daily Mirror editorial last Wednesday we highlighted a shocking report by Transparency...

Opposition hell-bent to gEt Government through native deities

The presidential entourage consisted of Strategic Development and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama,

Time for an original US foreign policy

There are three schools of thought in American foreign policy -- two you have heard about and a third that is relegated to the background.

Mission for unpolluted food from next month - EDITORIAL

The government announced yesterday it would launch an accelerated national, natural food production mission from March 6 to give the Sri Lankan people, specially our children, food that is not polluted or poisoned by the use of imported agrochemicals

Leaving Rajapaksas uncurbed will be a colossal blunder

Those who lose at elections don’t seem to realise that they, elections, have consequences. Dulles Alahapperuma, Dinesh Gunawardene, Rohitha Abeygunawardene, Kumara Welgama.