Cruel irony in the former Granary of the East

The rice/paddy issue has again come to the fore with those TV channels connected to the Opposition unceasingly telecasting demonstrations by famers in various areas in the country making various demands.

Geopolitical significance of Bangladeshi PM’s visit to China

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s five-day visit to China last week was of considerable strategic significance not only for the two countries, but also for India.

A call to extend retirement age of public servants

It is reported that the Government is considering extending the retirement age of judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court by two years to continue benefiting from their knowledge and experience. This is a welcome proposal.

Detention Rights: Sri Lanka and the United States

A renewed debate over custodial treatment and due process has emerged in Sri Lanka following the detention of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Major General Suresh Sallay (Retd.) under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Are our political parties really interested in fighting corruption?

Connections between powerful politicians and underworld figures involved in drug dealing abound in our country. We well remember how a one-time president helicoptered to the home of a regional politician in a show of support when that worthy’s home was being raided by law enforcement officials on drugs-related charges.

Clean the Blocked Canal Near Bandaranayakepura immediately!

Right next to Bandaranayakepura in Rajagiriya lies what can only be called a *”Dengue Farm.”

Economic growth is not the only measure of human development

The 2022 economic crisis in our country was epitomised by the declaring of bankruptcy. Its effects were the severe shortage of foreign exchange and the sovereign default on $51 billion of external debt. Dwindling reserves led to debilitating shortages of fuel, food, medicine, and electricity, sparking massive civic protests, skyrocketing inflation and shortages of all manner of basic goods in the open market.

Bridging Independence And Harmony: The Case For An MPCC

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s (CBSL) recent move to conduct a public survey on the 5% inflation target marks a watershed moment under the new Central Bank Act. For the first time, a legally autonomous technocratic institution is stepping out of the ivory tower to gauge the lived economic realities and inflation expectations of the public. However, this exercise has also exposed a profound systemic vulnerability. In an environment characterised

A Zebra Crossing At Last -- Thank You, CMC

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the Mayoress of the Colombo Municipal Council, Ms. Vraie Cally Balthazaar, Commissioner Mr. Palitha Nanayakkara, and the Traffic Division Engineer for responding positively to my request to install a zebra crossing linking the Kollupitiya Jumu’ah Mosque with the CMC Pumping Station. My heartfelt thanks also go to the officers of the City Traffic Police, Pettah, and the Kollupitiya Police for granting t

Constitutional-inconsistencies-relating-to-franchise: A response

While appreciating the recent exposures in the press by Neville Ladduwahetty under the captioned subject,

Sri Lanka’s Sports Sector is in Free Fall

This is not merely a boxing crisis, it is a national disgrace that plagues virtually every sport in the country. Sports management bodies are not just ineffective; many are effectively dead, blind, or utterly defunct. They have failed athletes, failed the nation, and continue to operate with impunity. Recently, a Sri Lankan team heading to an Asian competition was shamelessly told to find their own funds. These determined athletes and their famil

Iran’s high‑octane goalkeeping at Hormuz: How real is US-Israel rift

It is like walking through a minefield. The memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on June 17 by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump, is surviving on a diplomatic shoestring despite a still‑unbridged trust deficit between the belligerents and sinister efforts by Israel to torpedo it. Israel is not going to give up its efforts to sabotage the deal anytime soon. It knows well that the emerging security architecture

What is needed is economic growth, not publicity stunts

Three years after Sri Lanka plunged into its worst economic crisis since independence, the country’s economy has regained a measure of stability. Foreign reserves have improved, inflation has eased, tourism is recovering, and the immediate threat of sovereign default has receded. Yet stability is not growth. It is merely the foundation upon which growth must be built. The government today appears increasingly preoccupied with managing perceptions

The fear of becoming the victim…

The spate of crimes being reported on a daily basis is a worrying sign about society. Certain mainstream news bulletins dedicate more air time to report on crimes committed within a single day, despite the fact that people are overwhelmed with such news items. There are both the pros and cons about reporting on crimes and the nature in which these incidents are being reported.

Chemmani still holds our attention

Excavations of over a year at the Chemmani mass grave at the entrance of Jaffna city have unearthed over 400 skeletal remains, many belonging to children. Some reports put the number at 412 by Monday, with the exhumation of 13 more skeletal remains on that day.

Fire Exit Audit Needed for Old High-Rise Apartments

The recent Lucknow inferno is a wake-up call for Sri Lanka. It has exposed how vulnerable our old high-rise apartment blocks are to fire disasters.

Sri Lanka’s public transportation needs urgent revolution

Daily commuters in Colombo face overcrowded buses and long queues, while the price of a litre of petrol has soared past Rs. 400. As private bus operators reduce services by 50% due to unsustainable fuel costs, Sri Lanka’s transportation sector needs a lifeline for the sake of millions of commuters who are experiencing a crisis. Yet, from the ashes of this crisis emerges an opportunity for a long-overdue revolution.

British Prime Minister’s resignation Sri Lanka’s choice: One-party rule, or Internal Party democracy of political opposition

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, finally bowing to an internal party mutiny.

Cruelty to women/children, sale of workers, and Lanka’s shame

Yesterday’s edition of the Daily Mirror highlighted a case of stark cruelty to a nine-month-old infant. The child and his/her mother was apparently left in the care of a carer, while the father went in search of employment. The child was tied to a chair, as the court heard, and was mercilessly thrashed by the carer for crying!

Not at the public’s inconvenience

We are aware that there is a serious narcotics menace and the police are doing their best to deal with it. The area that I live in the city of Colombo (namely Colombo 08) has unfortunately become a meeting area for drug traffickers and addicts, and frequent checks are on in this sector at night and sometimes even during the day.

Dengue is an attitudinal crisis

The spike of dengue cases in the country has risen to an alarming level with the number of cases exceeding 46,000 and deaths nearing 30 for the past six months, according to reports. Authorities cite that the number of cases rose by 500 to 600 daily until last Saturday.

Forest cover and tribal groups affected: India gives up critical naval airbase under environmentalists’ pressure

The Indian government is abandoning a five-year-old project to extend the runway at the naval air station “INS Baaz” on the Car Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, in view of local environmental and socio-economic issues. However, the government has decided to proceed with a new INR 130,000 million greenfield civil-cum-military airport at Chingen in Galathea Bay, further South (see map).

Parents’ Eye-sore: School Uniforms Love Telesdramas

I write as a concerned parent and citizen regarding the growing trend of teledramas that feature school-going boys and girls in uniform engaged in romantic relationships, love triangles, love with young teachers and rebellious behaviour during prime-time TV slots.

Entrepreneurship: The Spinal Cord of Economic Resurgence and the Solution to Unemployment

The modern business lexicon frequently centres around a single, powerful catalyst: entrepreneurship. Derived from the French word entreprendre, meaning “to undertake,” the concept was fundamentally shaped by the Austrian political economist Joseph Schumpeter often regarded as the father of entrepreneurship.

Sacrificing Autonomy- Penny Wise, Pound Foolish: Maritime Security Cooperation with India

As a retired Senior Superintendent of Police with decades of experience in intelligence, counter-terrorism, and strategic security coordination, I have repeatedly seen how short-sighted decisions undermine long-term national resilience.

The two faces of Dubai: Glitzy high-rises, low-paid workers

Last week, we looked at Dubai’s spectacular rise as a mega service and tourism hub, and the reasons why it began unravelling, and why the just-concluded Mideast war can’t be blamed for all of Dubai’s present woes.

Restoring the Uva Railway as alternative to shutting it down

It’s six months since Ditwah hit. It will be another six or seven months before it will be possible to take the train to Kandy, according to the government. How long will it take for the Uva Railway from Peradeniya to Badulla to be fully operational again?

Father’s Day, and the fate of many Lankan fathers

Yesterday (June 21) was dedicated to the fathers in our country. ‘Father’s Day’ in our country, is relatively a modern-day observance.

Is Sri Lanka’s investor-friendly environment at risk?

Barely a month after the Korean envoy highlighted the need to improve Sri Lanka’s ease of doing business and bureaucratic efficiency in trade facilitation, the new Indonesian envoy echoed similar concerns at a round-table discussion organised by the Pathfinder Foundation in Colombo.

Public healthcare facing collapse while citizens face bankruptcy

Our health care system was once described as one of the best in that its pro-poor health system covers all Sri Lankans, thanks mainly to the free health policy implemented since 1951. Thanks to this policy our country has the lowest maternal mortality rate in South Asia. Maternal mortality rates dropped drastically from 56 deaths out of 100,000 live births in 2000 to 36 deaths out of 100,000 live births in 2017.