Wigi gains from southern ire

When in Parliament the solitary Thamil Makkal Thesiya Koottani (Tamil People’s National Front) MP C.V. Wigneswaran opened a can of worms by glorifying Tamils and the Tamil language over other communities and languages, Industries Minister Wimal Weerawansa said the former Chief Minister of the Northern Province was attempting to outshine Tamil National Alliance leader R. Sampanthan, as a Tamil nationalist.

No substantial changes to 20 A

The government presented the bill titled ‘20th Amendment to the Constitution’ to Parliament in its original form despite attempts by a section of the government.....

The 20th through the eyes of a helpless citizen

In the mornings now the traffic on the left lane in Colombo areas moves painfully slowly. The word painfully is closely associated with life and politics in Sri Lanka.

Finding our roots among the pages of books - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka stakes a claim for some of the best books written by Asian authors, but sadly these authors have to take the books to readers in a country like ours. Books can take you on a journey, to a past which is often contested by historians and nationalists.

Changing geopolitical alliances in Indian Ocean and lessons for Sri Lanka

In 1988, the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a Tamil separatist group, undertook a mercenary mission to stage a coup in the Maldives. They were hired by Maldivian businessman Abdulla Luthfi.

The 20th Amendment Bill Lest We Forget

Strident calls were repeatedly made from many quarters for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to be repealed.

QuÕ vÃdis, ‘Core Group’?

There’s a ‘Core Group’ on Sri Lanka operating in international circles. It is made of five European countries (Germany, North Macedonia, Montenegro and the UK) and one North American, Canada. A political bloc, then, essentially and one whose general ideological and political thrusts are no secret. It would have been better if there was a ‘core group’ that was more representative both geographically and politically, but then this is what global-sl

World Maritime Day: ‘Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet’

The United Nations marks World Maritime Day today. Where Sri Lanka is concerned, it comes this year in the wake of the fire that broke out on September 3 in the engine room of the MT New Diamond when it was some 65 kilometres off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

it has to be people first...

The news that young Ruwan Wijewardene was elected Deputy Leader of the UNP boosted my spirits and that of many of my friends. We had feared that the exit of Ranil Wickremesinghe at the end of the year, would be the end of an era of gentleman politicians.

What was and what is

According to Julia Carey’s poem “LITTLE ACTS’ we are told that little acts of kindness can form a mighty ocean. Dwelling on the way things were, I’ve read some really beautiful stories that are worth sharing, so here goes.

Social-media rumours are scything through customary info blocks

Tragedies can be kaleidoscopic moments. They provide those instances that cut through imposed façades. An unobtrusive cutaway view in a moment of tragic truth.

‘Devolution of Power and Provincial Councils’ - Where do we stand?

This is a time when even those who agreed with the LTTE to explore a solution to the ethnic problem within a federal framework are standing even for the abolition of the existing provincial councils. This may be a genuine mind change or swimming with the tide.

Laying waste our forests

In the 1920s, Sri Lanka had a 49% forest cover, but by 2005 this had fallen by approximately 26%. Between 1990 and 2000, Sri Lanka lost an average of 26,800 ha of forests per year. This amounts to an average annual deforestation

What govt. should do to win over environmentalists?

The environmentalists have come up with a fretful confrontation with the government over the Sinharaja issue. This irritable attitude of environmentalists is justifiable with what is said and done so far by the government regarding the few environ

Strong executive presidency needed for rapid development - GL

Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, in an interview with Daily Mirror, comments on the 20th Amendment to the Constitution

UNHRC: To be or not to be? - EDITORIAL

On September 16, media reports revealed that United Nations (UN) investigators had emphatically stated the government of Venezuela committed egrarious....

Constitution to Restrict the Politician 220-year History of Constitution-Making

Covid 19: Democracy crucial to calm the storm

Amid a crisis where many independent analysts are warning that the proposed 20th Amendment could be a death certificate for parliamentary democracy in Sri Lanka, the United Nations this week marked the International Day of Democracy with Secretary General António Guterres saying that as the world confronts the COVID-19 pandemic, democracy is crucial in ensuring the free flow of information, participation in decision-making and accountability for

The downside of cow slaughter ban

In both Sri Lanka and India, which share a culture, cow slaughter is generally considered unethical by the majority Sinhala-Buddhists and Hindus. In Hinduism, the cow is considered “holy” but in Buddhism it is not. However, cow slaughter and beef eating are discouraged in Sinhala-Buddhist Sri Lanka because the faith is against the killing of all sentient beings, and the cow is one of them.

Rambo, Uda Walawe’s Iconic Elephant to be Translocated?

There is reliable information coming through that the Uda Walawe’s iconic elephant, Rambo may be captured and trans-located to a holding ground (which is effectively an elephant prison) by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). This will in effect be the signing of a death warrant for this famous elephant.

Who is going to decide the contents of the new Constitution?

Leaders of the Opposition parties, especially those of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the United National Party (UNP) are making an unnecessary big fuss over the architect of the draft 20th Amendment to the Constitution that has already been gazetted.

79th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 79th Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday the 10th of October 2020, at the Sri Lanka Federation of University Women: Resource and Training Centre at No. 96/25, Kitulwatte Road, Borella, Colombo 08.

Keep to your lane and eye the police! - EDITORIAL

Sri Lanka needs stricter road laws and tough law enforcement officials to implement them. When ever an authority says this it underscores one major issue; a good number of Sri Lankan motorists.....

Trump plays new card for peace with Pharaoh

First the United Arab Emirates, then Bahrain and which Arab nation is next in line to make ‘peace’ with Israel? In Washington on Tuesday, the UAE and Bahrain formally signed with Israel what is touted as peace agreements....

An attempt to rediscover historical demarcation of provincial boundaries

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is reported to have suggested the creation of an administrative structure remodeled on the ancient demarcations of Sri Lanka into regions as ‘Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti’ to govern the country in place of Provincial Councils.

Sri Lanka’s ‘stroll’ on the corridors of world power

As kids we knew of China as a country producing inferior or cheap goods. There was even a joke shared among schoolchildren when one kid had penned in her notebook that the opposite of ‘original’ is ‘Chinese’. That’s the old China we knew of. Fast forward from the past to 2020 and China is contesting against America to establish itself as a global economic power. And the scary part is that China is slowly getting rid of obstacles in its way in pur

Make books your best friends

The 22nd edition of the Colombo International Book Fair will open its pages to the public from tomorrow, September 18 till September 27. Sri Lanka Book Publishers Association President Upali Wanigasooriya has said that in previous years some million people attended the book fair, but this year with the COVID-19 pandemic casting its shadow over the country, the numbers may be about 500,000.

20th Amendment: ‘Yahapalanists’ are subverting objection

When constitutional amendments are proposed and they are made public in draft form, there is a general rule of thumb that can be employed to figure out where one should stand -- for or against. It goes like this: You disregard whether or not you are generally in favour of the immediate would-be beneficiary or beneficiaries in the political order; instead you ask yourself a simple question, ‘what if

The Ozone Layer and the saving of the Sinharaja - EDITORIAL

September 16 is designated the ‘International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer’ by the United Nations General Assembly.

20A Bill may be fatherless now; But many are its gleeful beneficiaries

They say that there are so many fathers to victory but defeat is a bastard. Well, in the present Sri Lankan context we can make an adjustment....