A freedom we might not enjoy

The December cold is setting in and Christmas is approaching, but people might not have the freedom to celebrate the festive season as they would wish.

A native medic against the odds - EDITORIAL

Sri Lankans are desperate as others the world over and keep their fingers crossed as native medicine practitioner Dhammika Bandara awaits the authorities....

Killing of top Iranian scientist: Lessons for developing nations

The killing of Iran’s top scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on November 27 is not an isolated incident only for Iran to worry about.

Sinophobia, Anglophilia and the language(s) of oppression

The other day, Sunanda Deshapriya (who used to convene the Free Media Movement, no less!) tweeted, “It looks like #SriLanka Railway Department has been sold to China! No other language, only English and #Chinese!” This came with a photograph of a train schedule. Deshapriya acknowledges, ‘Photo from FB.’ That’s the ‘all’ of his media ethics.

COVID vaccine: A light amid the darkness

Considering the rapidly increasing number of people testing positive for COVID-19 and the rising death toll makes us wonder whether the government is losing its grip on the virus. No doubt the National Operation Centre for Prevention of COVID -19 Outbreak (NOCPCO) headed by Lieut. Gen. Shavendra Silva is doing a good job—but should not the government enlist the assistance of the health authorities in the public and private sectors to spearhead th

High level interaction and commitment - the way foward on path to recovery

Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay spoke to Daily Mirror in an exclusive interview outlining the direction of bilateral ties and the status of bilateral projects. He also touched upon contentious issues. Excerpts:

A Ray of Hope - the message of Christmas - EDITORIAL

On December 25, people around the world will celebrate the feast of Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ -- whom Christians believe is the Son of God.....

Where have all the prisoners gone?

The kith and kin of the inmates of the Mahara prison are still gathering in front of the prison to know the fate that befell their incarcerated family members.....

Beware of Drug Providers! FDA, WHO, Big Pharma’ and COVID vaccine

The ‘medical mafia’ of developing nations are off-shoots of the huge invasive Transnational Pharmaceutical conglomerates branded....

Does beef cause cancer?

Recently some prominent medical doctors in Sri Lanka claimed in electronic media that beef is a carcinogenic food which means a causative agent of cancer.

“There were no virologists in the committees set up” - Prof Vitharana

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) National List MP Prof. Tissa Vitharana recently said that COVID-19 is now in the community and nobody has immunity against it since it’s a new virus.

Law’s delays and its resultant injustice

In most cases statistics, though representing serious social issues and problem, just become figures in the eyes of the people. Even the so-called educated people treat them as statistics reminding us of a famous quotation, “The death of one

Facts and Fiction of Chinese investments: Its economic projects are not bad; rather the discourse is heavily politicised

Last week, Batticaloa’s Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Shanakiyan Ragul Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam delivered a speech in Parliament, the essence of which was to appeal for the right of Tamils to mourn their dead and right of Musli

Disrupted lives behind bars

“Wrongdoers are imprisoned to turn them into good people. Nothing like that happens inside this prison. People who are imprisoned for com

When coffee and Ceylon were synonymous

Colombo, December 8: At present, Sri Lanka is synonymous with tea and not coffee. As on date, it is way down in the list of coffee producing countries, 43 rd. to be precise. But back in the 1870s, Ceylon, as Sri Lanka was then known, was amon

800, Raging Tiger, and the Lemonade Industry in Sri Lanka

A few weeks back, YouTube chat show host Lahiru Mudalige had a conversation with three popular media figures – Dushyanth Weeraman, Chinthana Dharmadasa....

Families demand to know fate of relatives in Mahara Prison

“Where is my son, where is my brother?” was the constant refrain of about 50 people gathered outside the Mahara prison on December 5, six days.....

The Mahara prison riot - EDITORIAL

After successfully controlling the first wave of the Coronavirus, in October a second wave hit the country, when affected persons were discovered....

The idea of the University and democratising it

The great Capitalist crisis in the making over decades has been pushed over the cliff by the Covid-19 pandemic, and its devastation is going to reshape societies.

Budget 2021 and the External Sector in a Changing Global Order

Annual budgets announce the Government’s priorities for the domestic economy. But we cannot address the historic challenges facing Sri Lanka without considering the global context.

Are we hiding our heads in the sand?

Has the authorities assessed the correct COVID-19 situation in the country? It doesn’t seem to be so. We seem to soothe ourselves with misleading numbers and attempt to contain the virus threat. In short, the official numbers about the COVID-19 situation are apparently far below than the reality.

A Suggestion for the New Constitution of Sri Lanka

The 20th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka has been approved by Parliament. Now, people are talking about who voted for it and why. Let us forget who voted for it and why.

The US, the coronavirus and the plight of Palestine

The month of December is upon us and the year 2020 is finally coming to an end. December is also the month of Christmas – the month the world celebrates the birth of a man who preached love, peace, compassion, called for a change of exploitative structures which enslave humankind and publicly called for forgiveness to those who tortured and killed him.

Our true heroes must be celebrated - EDITORIAL

The cultural divide in the country gets highlighted when there is a natural disaster. Just hours ago Cyclone Burevi swept across the Eastern....

Decision on burial: Not the last nail in the coffin

When Muslims were a minority in the city state of Mecca in the early 7th century AD, they faced persecution, including torture, economic boycott and social ostracism.

RCEP, the world’s largest trading bloc, signed up amidst pandemic

In years, super-power rivalries have intensified. It climaxed with a trade war between the United States and China. The spat between the world powers is playing out in the Indian Ocean region with a particular focus on China’s rise and increased involvement in transnational trading.

When COVID brings us hard lessons in a teacup!

School education coming to a standstill in Sri Lanka can be viewed from many angles. The word standstill can be too harsh for people supporting this government. But what other best word can describe a situation where students who are studying are told that exams are postponed indefinitely? This is the scenario with the Ordinary Level Examination, which was scheduled to begin on January 18, 2021.

Mahara Prison Riots: Resolve crisis with empathy

In the wake of an increasing number of prison inmates contracting COVID-19 -- some 1,091 as of yesterday -- was the news of a riot that broke out at the Mahara Prison and the attempts by armed prison guards to quell the riots had left 11 inmates dead and 109, including two prison guards, injured.

Sectoral Oversight Committee Report on National Security gathering dust!

On February 19, 2020, i.e. days before Parliament was dissolved and probably in full cognizance of the impending General Election, a report was released by ‘The Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security,’ appointed following the Easter Sunday attacks almost a year before.

Farmer protests in Delhi and the rise of the Sikhs - EDITORIAL

Thousands of farmers led by their turban clad Punjabi leaders thronged to the borders of India’s capital during the past few days.