Govt. has to walk the tight rope

The Government weathered internal storms and proceeded with the enactment of the 20th Amendment virtually undoing the 19th Amendment. Again, the Government is bound to meet with similar internal dissension when it initiates moves to conduct the elections to the provincial councils.

To bury or not bury is NOT the question

Is it absolutely safe to bury those who have died of COVID-19? No one can say with absolute certainty. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it’s safe.

Christ of Christmas: A ray of hope to a troubled world

More than two billion Christians the world over will celebrate Christmas tomorrow, the 25th of December. But these celebrations will by compulsion be held on a subdued note this year -- because of the pandemic that has spread across the globe – giving us an opportunity to focus our attention on the spiritual dimension of Christmas instead of the external trimmings that accompany this great feast.

Last days of Trump’s Presidency - EDITORIAL

The last days of the Trump presidency increasingly resemble that of Roman Emperor Nero, who was fiddling while Rome was burning.

Forced Cremation of COVID-19 Patients: We know better than them All!!

Around twenty Muslim families, whose loved ones died after being declared positive for COVID-19, have refused to claim the bodies. The state has borne the expenses....

Time to resolve issues of northern fishermen

One of the important issues that have been eclipsed by the COVID-19 threat is the plight of the fishermen of northern Sri Lanka, who have been hit by both Coronavirus related issues and the invasion of their fishing grounds by Indian fishermen.

MCC snub: Sri Lanka is self-alienating from the West

Except for the fact that popular irrationality that the government had fostered is now making itself into State policy. This government has benefitted from the wave of popular irrationality, with a degree of ethno-nationalist bent. It cultivated and promot

MER for jumbos obstructed by ‘land work’ Two-legged ‘white elephants’ with crooked mindset threaten Hambantota wild elephants

The focus on environmental conservation seems to be decreasing in the face of accelerated development projects in Sri Lanka. Development schemes encroaching on elephant habitats especially are far from satisfactory. Most projects have been implemented without prior wildlife study. The recent death of

Lanka Premier League - hats off to SLC - EDITORIAL

The on-again, off again Lanka Premier League cricket tournament -the 23-day-long cricket fiesta-which commenced in November reached.....

British monk committed suicide 55 years ago, suffered from Satyriasis

Reading Ravi Nagahawatte’s well crafted description [December 17] titled, “Was Ven. Jinawamsa ready for lessons on impermanence?”

The Uncanny Speech Problem in Deepa Mehta’s “Funny Boy”

Deepa Mehta’s newly released film “Funny Boy” met with a post-production hiccup when activism sensitive to linguistic representation and the portrayal....

HRCSL can no longer be considered legally independent - Ambika Satkunanathan

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) conducted the first national study on the treatment and conditions of prisoners from February 2018.....

MGR: From Tamil Film Hero to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister

The recent announcement by Tamil Cinema Superstar Rajinikanth that he would be forming a political party to contest all 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly at the forthcoming May 2021 elections, has led to much speculation and excitement.

Whither the UNP?

The panic on the COVID-19 threat has totally eclipsed many issues that would have otherwise become hot issues. Main among them is Tamil nationalistic politics. Some others are the plight of the United National Party (UNP) and the bickering within the Ape Jana Bala Pakshaya or the Our Peoples Power Party (OPPP) led by Ven. Athureliye Rathana thera and Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera.

Christmas, Christians and rising Islamaphobia

In ten days’ time we will be celebrating Christmas -- the birth of Jesus the Christ -- a man Christians believe is God made man and whose central message is love, sharing, forgiveness and peace.

A pilgrimage during COVID - EDITORIAL

The pilgrim season to Adam’s Peak is set to begin on December 29 (Tuesday) and the challenge would be to control the crowds.....

Lanka’s grave problem: The solution is not outsourcing it to Maldives

One of the responsibilities of a government towards its citizens is to ensure their physical security from domestic or external.....

The Public Utilities Commission: should it go or stay?

On December 1, 2020, Presidential Secretary P.B. Jayasundera wrote to Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle to close down the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). This, Jayasundera wrote, was necessary ‘to create an efficient work environment to implement the power generation plan which has been lagging behind for some time.’

Dhammika Paniya: Better Look Before You Leap

The talk of the town these days is all about an Ayurvedic ‘paniya’ or syrup, supposedly prepared by using some secret ingredients in addition to nutmegs and bees honey, being sought by desperate Sri Lankans, who appear to have lost faith in the government’s ability to control or curb the rapidly spreading viral infection.

Was Ven.Jinawamsa ready for lessons on impermanence?

The mysterious death of Ajhan Jinawamsa Thera from the Netherlands gives us a reminder that things could go wrong even on a remote hermitage which most people think is the ideal place for mental progression.

COVID-19 cure syrup and the media hype

The difference between developing medicines for COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka and the developed countries is that Sri Lanka fist allows the distribution of medicines and then go for researches on them and the developed countries do the oth

Covid ‘miracle cure’ and Sri Lanka’s faltering pandemic response

In April this year, while the COVID-19 virus was rampaging through communities, forcing governments to lockdown cities, President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina, a DJ turned politician launched with much funfair a herbal concoction w

BJP’s lofty goals for 2021

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the right wing Hindu nationalistic party, is entrenched in the Indian national parliament. Besides, it is the leading party in 13 of India’s 31 States and Union Territories. In four other units it is a junio

A Hettipola Cluster or ‘Kali Pokura’ if Authorities Derelict!

Three health ministers, both Allopathic and Indigenous [a professor of pharmacology & two lawyers] apparently encourage the producer and the anxious Public, while the newly appointed Covid Minister had warned users. While

Working from home, the COVID-19 new reality - EDITORIAL

We are almost nine months into the pandemic. A number of smaller work places have been forced to shut down. Nearly 600,000 daily-paid.....

The Banana Republican: A Churl’s Last Stand

Nothing made him so despicable, as his manner of not conceding. Oliver Sacks published three case studies under the title, “The man who mistook his wife for a hat.

LTTE Political Strategist Anton Stanislaus Balasingham

Anton Stanislaus Balasingham the political strategist of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and political adviser to Tiger leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran died 14 years ago in his South London residence.

Recent Events in Mozambique and Ethiopia: Foreign Policy Implications for Sri Lanka

The great Greek historian, Thucydides, set out a principle he thought dictated relations between strong and weak nations during his time. He said, “The strong do what they will and the weak what they must.” The question is whether this dictum still holds true even for nations such as Sri Lanka.

To end corruption to restore social justice and equality

Corruption is one of the most devastating crimes because it makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. During the past five centuries, colonial powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain, plundered our country though they claimed their aim was to civilise Sri Lanka.

Struggle for justice against enforced disappearances

On February 6, 2007, the United Nations adopted the “International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances”. The convention foregrounds the need to ensure justice for victims, and the responsibility of States for guarantees of non-recurrence for disappearances which is a crime against humanity.