We are ready to discuss better devolution with the government

Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA)  MP Suresh Premachandran stressed the need for extensive devolution of power to the provincial councils. In addition to land and police powers, he asked for financial powers to raise foreign loans and grants for developmental needs.

America’s war criminals

Someone, somewhere, has to say it - that the U.S. harbours war criminals of its own and they have served not that long ago at the apex of power in the American government.

China, India, Pakistan boost nuclear arsenals

Three of the world’s nuclear powers — China, India and Pakistan — have increased their arsenals over the past year, while the other five have cut their strength or kept it stable, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute(SIPRI) said Monday.

New light in new draft constitution - Editorial

The history of Sri Lanka since independence in 1948 has a multitude of missed opportunities, some of which had drastic consequences. One of them was the 2000 draft constitution presented in Parliament by....

World Environment Day : Observing Environment Day on a climate volcano

The production process, related to a topmost secret experiment was underway in Los Alamos, United States of America. It was all about producing the world’s first Atomic bomb! At the height of these activities, Jewish scientists, including Einstein were mighty worried that Nazi Germany

THE PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO INFORMATION ET AL

The government must empower us, the people, to have the Right to Information, This is a right in keeping with the letter and spirit of ‘Participatory Democracy’. In the first place the fact that only a very few of those who contested elections at all levels in the past declared their assets serves to indicate that unless........

‘Despite different claims May 21 strike proves successful’

Still, there is a debate as to the success of the token strike initiated by the pro JVP trade union centre, on May 21. It started with the different claims within the trade union sector. The Co-ordinating Committee to unite trade unions which initiated countrywide..........

Editorial - Implement Freedom of Information Bill, hang your code

In the West and other democratic countries like India, we regularly hear of reports as we do in Sri Lanka of political corruption, hypocrisy, frauds, cover-ups and the plunder of public funds. But the difference in those countries is that there are checks and balances and specially a free media through.........

PC System not a panacea for present problems-Tilvin

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva speaks to the Daily Mirror on the Northern Provincial Council Elections and issues confronting the Tamil people. He noted that the government had failed to address the genuine grievances of the Tamil people.  Following are some excerpts of the interview:

China: New Leadership Should Address Tiananmen Legacy: HRW

President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese leaders should demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law by acknowledging the government’s responsibility for the massacre of unarmed civilians 24 years ago, and by allowing commemorations of the anniversary, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

Introduce a new Sedition Act

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has stated that electing a Northern Provincial Council (NPC) under the 13th Amendment would pose a threat to the security of the entire country. He has opposed the holding of an election as the Tamil National Alliance is most likely to win the election

Editorial - Power-drunk politicos are not the best candidates

Currently, hardly a day passes without any story about a crime or a fraud involving a politician,  particularly a local government member,  being carried in the media.  Obviously almost all these rogue (or allegedly rogue) politicians are attached to the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the ruling party in the Parliament

Social Surplus, the State and Public Welfare

Modern states have the prerogative to extract a major part of the social surplus from economically active citizens and use it for purposes that are supposed to benefit the wider population. With increasing productivity due to technological advancement, improvement of health and nutritional status of the population

UNP’S DRAFT, TNA’S TIMING, CBK’S CHANCES 

The proposals for a new Constitution presented by the main Opposition party the UNP could have been much better, but as they stand they constitute a welcome and useful intervention in the political discussion.

Editorial - Oh Justice, What Crimes are committed in thy name.

The arrest of the Homagama District Judge Sunil Abeysinghe on charges of accepting Rs. 300,000 from a businessman and the disgraceful drama that unfolded with his so-called supporters giving protection to him in the police station and even threatening the media on Friday......

How effectively are we preparing our children for the 21st century?

 It is hard to know how effectively to prepare our children for the technologically advancing future. The future as we see it is ever changing. In the last decade many have at their disposal, the mobile phone, the personal computer, the worldwide web and countless apps, to name but a few.

‘Developmental journalism needs greater media focus’

In a rare display of gratitude to a Muslim police officer who launched a Vesak celebration programme ten years ago, the Wellawa  police invited Mr. ULM Mohideen to be chief guest at this year’s grand event. SP Sisil de Silva was called upon by the present OIC Wellawa to hand over a plaque to Mohideen

It is possible to close Guantanamo

“Guantanamo has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the law”. Did you say that? Did I? No. It was the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, speaking last week.

Editorial - National Hospital Mayhem: Shame, Shame, Shame.

In a front page report headlined ‘Hippocratic or hypocritical?’ highlighted the shocking and scandalous case of what happened at the country’s premier medical centre, the Sri Lanka National Hospital. A courageous and civic conscious lady lawyer, Selyna D. Peiris had seen a girl, later found to be a trainee nurse

Today is World No Tobacco Day : LETHAL BUT LEGAL

This year’s theme focuses on the need to ‘Ban Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship...

Editorial : It’s people stupid, not the Constitution

The United National Party (UNP) has come up with an all new Constitution claiming that the Mahinda...

China’s strategy and new cold war undercurrents

High-level movements across the Asian diplomatic chess board in the past two weeks have once again brought...

THE CURSE OF THE GANDHIS

Both Indira Gandhi and her son, Rajiv, were murdered.  The former by her Sikh bodyguards and the latter by the LTTE whom he had nurtured, protected and nourished.  While many decry these murders as indeed any murder must be....

fervour that ended in a fatal fire

A week ago, he was virtually unknown. Today, he is famous but is also dead. That is the tragic fate of Bowatte Indarathana Thera, the Buddhist monk who set himself alight near the Dalada Maligawa on Vesak Poya Day and later succumbed to the extensive burn injuries he sustained.

Transfering Sovereignty back to the People

The Second Republican Constitution was adopted in 1978 to provide for the economic, political and social development of the country.  It achieved the expected objectives including the socio-economic transformation of the country, to a great extent.

Let’s all sacrifice and stop cattle slaughter - Editorial

The self immolation of the Ven. Bowatte Indarathana Thera in front of the hallowed Dalada Maligawa on Vasak Day in support of the growing campaign for a ban on cattle slaughter needs to be...

SL has made significant strides in reconciliation process

Statement by Ravinatha P. Aryasinha, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka and leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation to the 23rd Session of the Human Rights Council on May 27, 2013, in response to the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ update on her Annual Report to the Human Rights Council

‘Unity with power-sharing’ Answer to national problem

The cry for devolution is not a new phenomenon to Lanka. In ancient times too, Lanka was divided into three provinces though it was united under one umbrella. With the rise of Lankan bourgeoisie the federal idea was originated among the Sinhalese.    

Editorial - Minister vows to fight ‘demons’ in drug trade

We congratulate Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena on his latest pledge that the National Medicinal Drugs Policy (NMDP), based on Professor Senaka Bibile’s essential medicines concept, will be implemented by the end of this year.

Narcotics The silent killer haunting the schools in Sri Lanka

The Jaathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Parliamentarian, Athuraliye Rathana Thera expressed concern that popular national schools in Sri Lanka has seen an unusual spike in narcotic usage among students in the recent months.