President’s China visit: Reboot the Dragon

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s state visit to Beijing, his second overseas visit since assuming office, is a case of continuity of the Sri Lankan foreign policy. However, more than any of his predecessors, he is in a position to strike the right equilibrium in Sri Lanka’s relations with its two most important foreign relations- China and India- and harness them to turbocharge the local economy.

Lanka: Where many are let down by so few

Speaking on the role of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II, controversial British war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised the efforts of Britain’s air wing, saying ‘never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’. He was referring to the RAF’s role in saving Britain from Nazi Germany. That we quote Churchill however, does not mean that we hold this man in high esteem.

Wide ranging fallout of Trudeau’s exit from Canadian Premiership

Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister for nine years, announced on January 6, that he would be stepping down in March, unable to resolve the contradictions within his Liberal Party.

Why do successive governments fail in taming the rice mafia? - EDITORIAL

The consumers in the country are clueless on the rice crisis currently prevailing in the country since October last year.

English: What our politicians failed to understand

While everyone is obsessed with the country’s economic crash, the consequences of the linguistic crash we suffered from 1956 onwards is just as serious.

Local elections, rising poverty and the Aswesuma grant - EDITORIAL

Local government elections have not been held in Sri Lanka since 2018. Elections were scheduled to be held in 2022.

How Tiger “Col” Kittu Disappointed Vijaya Kumaratunga and Deceived Lalith Athulathmudali

In the first part of this article on Sathasivampillai Krishnakumar alias “Col” Kittu published last week in the “Daily Mirror”, I had written about my interviewing the LTTE Jaffna district commander for the Indian news magazine, “Frontline” in November 1986. It was at that time the first conversation with Kittu published in an English journal.

Residents of Mullivaikkal provide support and show solidarity to Rohingya asylum seekers

Mullivaikkal is a remote coastal village in the Northern district of Mullaitivu in Sri Lanka and its ethnic composition is predominantly Tamil. It has become significant as it’s where Sri Lanka’s three-decade long civil war came to a bloody end in 2009,

AKD of a hundred days

It is now over three months since the National People’s Power (NPP) -a ‘left-leaning’ political party- was elected into power. The party led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD) was voted into power by people who were sick and tired of past leaders who promised much, but whose terms were blighted with corruption and broken promises.

A serious soul-searching is a must for the Opposition

Despite the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) and the three main Opposition parties – Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) currently facing dilemmas, they are not same in nature and scale. The issue faced by the NPP is not anything concerning its survival, but the Opposition parties’ dilemma is.

Surge in Islamophobia: A fitting Israeli welcome for Trump

The New Orleans terror attack on New Year’s Day, the Tesla truck bomb outside a hotel owned by President-elect Donald Trump the same day,

Business community in search of level playing field - EDITORIAL

When we see the sunny beaches in Sri Lanka, lush green tea bushes and the tourism hotspots oozing with potential, there is hope on the horizon for Sri Lankans.

Reopening of Notre Dame de Paris

On 19 April 2019, the World’s most highlighted news was that Notre-Dame de Paris (NDP), the Cathedral was on fire.

The messenger shouldn’t be shot even in the darkest of times.. - EDITORIAL

Yesterday (January 8) marked 16 years since the assassination of The Sunday Leader Editor-in-Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge.

Should Cleaning Sri Lanka be more than Click- bait Sri Lanka?

For a political party that had thrived in chaos and actively sowed it, the new government’s initiative to ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ is a step in the right direction. Never mind the satire on social media and the chatter on the roadside of the three-wheeler bros who ‘gave the country to Anura’ now having to fret about being forced to remove unauthorized add-ons to their vehicles. And bus drivers defend their divine right to drive a full on ‘Devalaya’ with

Like ‘Rip Van Winkle’, our Premier awakens..

Our Prime Minister apparently made a startling discovery recently. According to media sources, she urged “a comprehensive investigation into the increasing trend of absenteeism among students pursuing Advanced Level education...”. The PM’s ‘discovery’ of student absenteeism, brings to mind the legend of ‘Rip Van Winkle’. Rip Van Winkle was a character created by ‘Washington Irwin’ who is described as the first American man of letters. Rip Van Win

Should the govt. follow the manifesto or not?

The big question these days is about the NPP manifesto. Some want to rub the nose of our current rulers in the gap between promises and performance. But is this a productive path?

Country needs a strong and responsible Opposition

Political history is full of anecdotes involving famous personalities. Here is one such story involving one of the prominent leaders of the Ceylon Communist Party (CCP) Pieter Keuneman.

‘ETH-PORAYA’ with humans needs a science-based approach

Readers of a certain vintage may recall the iconic sketch that adorned the cover of the Upper Kindergarten Sinhala textbook ‘Kumarodaya’—a vivid depiction of five elephants fused into a chaotic,

There’s still no justice 40 years after Fr. Bastian was killed

Today, January 6, will mark the 40th anniversary of the killing of Fr. Mary Bastian, a Catholic priest from the Catholic Diocese of Mannar, in the Northern province in Sri Lanka.

Unfulfilled dreams and government’s forgotten promises - EDITORIAL

Why do politicians make grandiose promises they cannot possibly keep? After all making and keeping promises should be a matter of self-esteem.

Life and Times of LTTE’s Ex-Jaffna Commander “Col” Kittu

Nowadays the 33 year long war between the armed forces of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is slowly receding into memory. The LTTE,

The President and the ‘state of the nation’

On 1st January, at the launch of the ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ programme, President Dissanayake did something our past presidents have seldom done. He drew public attention to the weaknesses in our system of administration. In a way he is saying ‘mea culpa’ and seeking public help to correct the same.

Clean Sri Lanka vs. bureaucratic breaks

How many of the 22 million people of this country might have had the interest to listen to the speech delivered by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the launch of his ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ project on January 1?

From one annus horribilis to another: Can greetings change our fate?

All the wishes and greetings for 2025 count for nothing. The New Year tradition stems from a conjecture, as humans have no record to say that time started or the Earth began its journey around the Sun on January 1 some 4.6 billion years ago.

The art of advertising a new political culture - EDITORIAL

The manner in which our new Executive President is promoting the goal of rebuilding this country must be lauded. He is so genuine in his attempts to lift this nation from the depths of despair.

Grieved parties must note that ‘this regime is still quite popular’

Sri Lanka is a country that pays special attention to workers, especially those employed in the garments industry. This is because workers can be categorised into a group that can be exploited or one that produces headaches for the government.

Could ‘Clean Sri Lanka’ rebuild a fractured nation? - EDITORIAL

On the first working day of the New Year, the government launched its Clean Sri Lanka programme, aimed at ‘rebuilding a fractured nation’ as described President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Price controls in a market economy - could it work?

In the run-up to its election victories at the presidential and parliamentary elections, the JVP/NPP combine promised to bring down the cost of living. Today, while a majority of ordinary workers earn between Rs. 40,000/- to Rs. 60,000/- per month, the cost of providing a family of four, three meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), costs over Rs. 100,000/- per month!

2025 - A year of growth or complacency for the Government ?

Sri Lanka enters 2025 on a much better footing than it was a year ago. The country may not be out of the woods yet. Still, the economy has made a tremendous comeback, and the country has finally gained political stability through presidential and general elections.